Meth lab explosion critically injures 2, 1 arrested

MT. WASHINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) -- A meth lab explosion critically injured a man and woman and scorched the inside of an upstairs apartment building in this small Kentucky town of Mt. Washington.

The explosion happened around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning along Main Street. The subsequent fire charred the inside the building, and frustrated the property owner, 89-year old Lester Maupin.

One man, 50-year old Sewlyn Dixon, was arrested and authorities said the two others injured in the blast – a 19-year old woman and 24-year old man – are persons of interest. Police say the two injured left the apartment badly burned and showed up at University Hospital hours later.

The names of those hurt were not released.

"You get some goofy ass people here lately," Maupin said. "I can't believe it. We rent apartments cheap -- about $300 a month."

Police say the 19-year old woman is related to the apartment tenant. That woman was not home at the time of the blast.

The explosion Sunday also left residents like Angela Lavespere and her fiance homeless. She heard the explosion called 911.

"It's very upsetting. I haven't broken down and cried yet but I will," Lavespere said. "One day I have a place to live the next day I don't ... because someone was stupid and careless."

The apartments sit above Crazy's Reds bargain supply. It's divided into apartments and Maupin's store. He showed us the aftermath of the meth lab explosion. He says the water used to put out the fire forced him to spend Sunday cleaning up.

"We had to take everything out of the front of that building all the way out in the street, we worked from 3 o'clock this morning until about an hour ago putting it back in the building," said Maupin.

Maupin claims the people involved with the meth lab didn't even live there. And he watched as police arrested Dixon, who came back to retrieve meth materials.

Dixon was charged with possession of meth and several other meth-related charges.

"And he walks upstairs and gets his meth lab -- I don't know what a meth lab is, but it was a great big lab and a stove," Maupin recalled. "He came walking down the steps right here and the police says, 'Hey, where are you going?' And he says 'I come to get my meth lab.' Can you believe that?"

Maupin had been hoping to sell the building - now he's been burned by the actions of others.