Five people, including the mother of a three-year-old boy who was burned in a flash fire that is linked to the production of meth, are facing criminal charges.
An ongoing investigation since the April 2 fire at 1730 Greendale Drive resulted in the arrest of four individuals who were present before the boy opened a door touching off a fire that caused burns to his left arm and leg.
The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office has charged Paula Brown, 22, of Crandall, Ga., with manufacture of meth, aggravated child abuse and conspiracy to manufacture meth.
Brown took her son to SkyRidge Medical Center where both were treated. She received burns to her foot while trying to put out flames that caught the boy’s clothes on fire.
The fire was extinguished and first word of the incident at the 9-1-1 center was from the hospital’s medical staff.
When deputies responded, they found Robert Nesmith, 35, of Wendell Lane and Tracy Michelle Parker, 42, when they entered the home to check for additional injuries.
Nesmith, Parker and April Star Eaves, 26, of Overhead Bridge Road have the same charges as Brown. The investigation revealed Eaves and the others were at the home before the fire and each had knowledge meth was being produced.
The fifth suspect is Robert Taylor Talbott Jr, 25, who resides at the home. He wasn’t present when the fire occurred but investigators have linked him to the purchase of a key ingredient used to make meth. He is charged with initiating the process to manufacture meth and conspiracy to manufacture meth.
BCSO detectives took warrants for the five and arrests were made over the last two-and-a-half weeks.