| State Police in Calhoun have brought charges against Jason L. White, 18, of Milo Road, whose address is now Macfarlan, and his girlfriend, Ashley M. Easton, 20, of Macfarlan, following an accident on Rt. 16 at Minnora where both subjects received chemical burns from what police are saying was related to the operation of a clandestine meth lab.
Both White and Easton have been charged with operating a meth lab and conspiring to commit a felony.
Roane County authorities charged White with possession of meth following the accident.
Responders said the subjects received chemical burns from an explosion or spillage of what appeared to be meth lab ingredients, the car crashed on its top in a sharp turn at Chloe, just north of the Upper West Fork VFD station.
State Police, upon examining the wrecked car, discovered Drano and a substance which appeared to be ammonium nitrate pellets from hand warmer packages, among other chemicals.
White told a Roane officer that a passenger in the vehicle, which he identified as Nick Roberts, "had brought a black bag with him...that he (White) wasn't sure what was in the bag," while saying that the meth discovered on him (White) was payment for giving Roberts a ride.
Roberts fled the scene of the accident.
Easton, according to reports, received more serious chemical burns and was transferred from Minnie Hamilton Health System in Grantsville to Cabell-Huntington Hospital's burn center, responders indicated Easton's "skin was sloughing" from the chemical burn.
Sgt. Williams, in the criminal complaint in Roane County, said he had knowledge of White purchasing pseudoephedrine from Wal-Mart pharmacy three days prior the accident.
White, after being read his Miranda Rights, told Sgt. Williams "that he had never actually cooked meth, but that he had bought items used in manufacture for other people."
White, in the complaint, says he witnessed others cooking meth, reportedly the shake and bake method, and would "hand the operator ingredients."
In December, 2012, White was arrested by Chief Deputy Todd Cole at the Spencer Wal-Mart for allegedly trying to buy cold medicine for the manufacturing of meth.
White was charged with conspiracy to operate a clandestine drug lab.
According to the complaint, attempted to make purchases two days running at Wal-Mart.
The complaint says, "A female, identified as his mother, was in the pharmacy attempting to purchase pseudoephedrine and was observed being handed money by Jason White to make the purchase."
After the pharmacist raised suspicion, police went to White's vehicle where they found cold medicine from a previous day.
In the vehicle was White's girlfriend, his mother, an infant and another juvenile, the officer stated there was a strong odor of meth.
See related story TEENS RECEIVE CHEMICAL BURNS IN MINNORA CRASH - Responders Suspicion Meth Ingredients | 
