Meridian Couple Arrested for Operating Meth Lab

Probation and Parole officers conducted a routine check on the father and that’s when they discovered the makings of the lab.

“Just astonished. I mean completely bewildered,” said Kelly Furness, who owns the home where the meth lab was discovered.

Furness can’t believe Meridian Police busted a meth lab at his home on North Laughridge, a home he was in the process of renting out.

“I gave them the key and said you can start to move your things in, but before you move in and before the water gets turned on, I need the rest of the deposit and first month’s rent. I gave them the key one and a half weeks ago, 10 to 12 days ago,” said Furness.

Those renters are Carson Myler, 33, and his wife, Theresa, 32. The couple appeared in court on the charges Wednesday afternoon, charges that include injuring children. Officers took their four kids, ages 9 to 14, from the home, removing them from dangerous living conditions.

“The chemicals when mixed are very volatile and explosive. The odor can make you sick,” said Sgt. Scott Colaianni, with the Meridian Police Department.

But neighbors say they never noticed any suspicious odors coming from the home.

“I didn’t even know anybody really lived over there,” said Joel Garcia, neighbor.

So to hear there was a meth lab in operation, Garcia was shocked.

“There was no traffic at all. I never saw any cars coming or going. It was really, really quiet,” he said.

As hazmat teams work to get rid of the toxic chemicals and equipment used to make the drug, the owner of the home knows he’ll have to spend at least $10,000 to decontaminate it. Furness says this experience will make him think twice about the next people he allows to call this place home.

“No, I didn’t screen with a criminal background check which, at this point, I may begin to start to do that,” he said.

Carsonis being held on $200,000 bond, and Theresa on $150,000. They will be in court again on Nov. 14.

Their children are in the custody of child protective services.

It’s meth busts like that one that result in more children being placed in the State’s care and eventually with foster parents.

During the 2007 fiscal year, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare took in nearly 3500 kids. In 2002, they had just over 2200 kids in their care, that’s an increase of more than 50-percent in five years.

“About 80-percent have some sort of substance abuse problem that is the main cause or contributing cause for kids having to come into foster care. So basically, that has strained our resources and also the number of homes we have available for kids to be placed in,” said Tom Shanahan with the Dept. of Health and Welfare.

The State is in desperate need of foster parents to care for the kids. If you’d like to help, call the Idaho Careline at 211 for more information.

In the ongoing fight against meth use, the Qwest Foundation has announced a donation of $25,000 to the Idaho Meth Project.

Financial backing from companies like Qwest is crucial to insuring the project is successful.

This particular donation is designed to help fund various educational components of the Idaho Meth Project, which will aid in teaching kids about the dangers of drugs, especially methamphetamine.