A
A WARNING
A WARNING IS NOT 4@ENOUGH. HE PLANS TO PROPOSE A BAN ON
KRATON THIS 4@MONDAY. 4@4@
>> HUNDREDS OF HOMES HIDE A
PAST THAT COULD IMPACT TH4@E
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF YOUR
FAMILY.
FAMILY.
FAMILY. AFTER AN INVESTIGATION, PJ
UNCOVERED HUNDREDS OF FORMER
METH LABS THAT WERE NOT CLEAN
AND DOCUMENTED DESPITE A LOCAL
LAW PROMISING TO 4@DO THAT.4@
SHE SAYS THAT MEANS PEOPLE ARE
PLANNING TO BUY THESE HOMES
WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING.>>
Reporter: PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY
PURCHASED THESE HOMES AS WELL.
THE WOMA4@N YOU ARE ABOUT TO
MEET, SHE CONTACTED US BECAUSE
SHE HAD A FEELING SOMETHING WAS
NOT RIGHT WITH HER 4@DREAM HOME@
>> JUST PAST4@ PEPPERMINT LANE,
YOU WILL FIND AN ODDITY.
>> WITH SOMETHING MORE UNIQUE.>>
TO SYDNEY, 4@THIS HOUSE4@4@ WAS
IN THE 80s.
>> IT LOOKED LIKE IT COULD BE
HOME SWEET HOME.>> IT WAS A
COOL FIRST HOME.
>> IT TURNS OUT, THE 4@TEAM HAD
INTO THIS HOME BEFORE TO BREAK
SOME BAD NEWS 4@TO THE CURRENT
HOMEOWNERS.
HOMEOWNERS. DID YOU KNOW THERE WAS A METH
LAB HERE?
LAB HERE?
LAB HERE? >> IT WAS NEW 4@TO SYDNEY.
SHE DID NOT4@ KNOW THE 4@HOME S
HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH WAS THE
SITE OF A METH LAB.
THIS IS WHAT POLICE FOUND AND
SEIZED FROM THE PROPERTY IN
2010.
2010.
2010. >>
2010. >> BACK 4@IN THE LATE 90s AND U
UNTIL A FEW YEARS 4@AGO,
JEFFERSON COUNTY WAS ON THE MAP
FOR HAVING SOME OF THE HIGHEST
NUMBERS OF METH LAB SEIZURES IN
FOR HAVING SOME OF THE HIGHEST NUMBERS OF METH LAB SEIZURES IN@
THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY. MOST OF THE LABS MAY BE GONE,
BUT THE CRIMINAL CONTAMINATION
OFTEN REMAINS 4@IN WALLS, FLOOR
AND AIR DUCTS.
EXPERTS SAY THOSE CHEMICALS CAN
BE DANGEROUS TO THE HEALTH OF 4@
ANYONE WHO TRIES TO MAKE THOSE
LABS HOME.
LABS HOME. SYDNEY WAS NOT READY TO GIVE UP
ON 4@HER DREAM.>> WE DECIDED IF
WE CAN FIND PROO4@F THAT IT WAS
CLEANED OUT,4@4@ AND 4@TESTED
AFTERWARDS, THEN IT WAS
SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD
CONSIDER.
CONSIDER.
CONSIDER. >> SHE WAS ELATED TO FIND THERE
IS AN ORDINANCE THAT DEALS WITH
FORMER METH LABS.
THAT WAS PASSED IN 2010.
POLICE4@ SAID THEY HAD TO 4@TES
THE WALLS OF THE PROPERTY.
AT THE TEST SHOWS THE PRESENCE
OF METH SET THEY MUST CONDEMN
HOME UNTIL THE HOMEOWNERS4@4@4@
FOR PROFESSIONAL REMEDIATION.
SYDNEY WONDERED, DID THAT
HAPPEN AT HER HOME?
>> NOBODY HAD ANY RECORD THE
HOME HAD BEEN CLEANED OUT.
>> IS THAT A PROBLEM?
>> IT IS NOT A PROBLEM.
>> WE ASKED THE CODE
ENFORCEMENT TO EXPLAIN WHY
THERE WAS NOT AN ORDINANCE IN
PLACE.
PLACE.
PLACE. WAS IS NOT THE ORDINANCE
FOLLOWED?
FOLLOWED?
FOLLOWED? >> I CANNOT SPEAK TO 4@IT HAPPE@
NINE YEARS AGO.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT REPORT
PROBABLY DID NOT 4@MAKE IT TO M
OFFICE.
OFFICE.
OFFICE. >> THE TEAM CRUNCHED THE
NUMBERS LOOKING THROUGH YEARS
OF DATA.
OF DATA.
OF DATA. WE FOUND THAT FOR ALMOST A FULL
YEAR, THE COUNTY4@ DID NOT FOLL
ITS OWN ORDINANCE.
SINCE TH4@EN, HUNDREDS OF METH
LABS HAVE NOT BEEN CLEANED OR
DOCUMENTED.
DOCUMENTED. THEY MAY HAVE GONE ON TO BE 4@SD
TO UNSUSPECTING FAMILIES WHO
HAD NO IDEA THE 4@CHEMICALS THE
WERE LIVING WITH WERE THERE.
>>4@ WITH THE AMOUNT THAT WE WE
CHASING, OUR LABS4@, YEAH. 4@
A LOT OF THESE HOMES ARE COMING
UP FOR SALE OR RENT.
>> THE TASK FORCE4@ COMMANDER
DENNIS SAYS HE AND HIS TEAM ARE
FINDING CLOSE TO 300 METH LABS4
A YEAR.
A YEAR.
A YEAR. DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE 4@METH
LAB EPIDEMIC.
LAB EPIDEMIC. THAT MAY BE WHY DOCUMENTATION 4@
IS NONEXISTENT FOR SOME OF
THESE HOMES.
THESE HOMES. >> THERE IS A CHANCE THAT WE
WERE NOT READY FOR THE
PROCEDURE.
PROCEDURE. KITS WERE NOT ORDERED AND WE
DID NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITIES.
>> IF THE COUNTY WAS NOT
FOLLOWING THE RULES TO KEEP
THEM SAFE, ISN'T THE COUNTY
RESPONSIBLE?
RESPONSIBLE? >> THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING.
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WERE
COOKING METH.>> IT IS NOT THE
ANSWER SYDNEY WANTED TO HEAR.4@
>> OKAY, SO WHAT NOW?
>> HER DREAMS ARE DASHED. 4@
IF SHE EVER FALLS IN LOVE WITH
REAL 4@ESTATE AGAIN --
>> I WOULD HAVE A MATH TEST4@
DONE.4@
DONE.4@
DONE.4@ >> CODE ENFORCEMENT STAFF TELL
US THEY ARE HAPPY TO 4@GO TO TH
HOME AND TEST4@ FOR RESIDUE
LEVELS.
LEVELS.
LEVELS. WE HAVE LEARNED THAT SINCE
2010, CODE ENFORCEMENT HAS
ORDERED CLEANUP FOR MORE THAN
100 HOMES IN JEFFERSON COUNTY.4
THAT IS ROUGHLY 10% OF ALL THE
METH LABS FOUND IN HOMES AND
BUILDINGS IN THAT SAME SPAN.
THERE IS A 4@LIST OF ALL HOMES
WERE LABS HAS BEEN FOUND.
YOU CAN FIND THAT LIST ON THE
WEBSITE AT KSDK.COM .
>> HAS SOMETHING YOU WANT US TO
LOOK INTO? 4@
YOU CAN EMAIL US