BODY FOUND OF MAN KILLED IN METH LAB

The body of a man killed in a weekend explosion at an illicit
methamphetamine lab in Bulls Gap was found Tuesday at the bottom of an
embankment in Greene County, authorities said.

Tony L. Kinsler, 47, of Bean Station, apparently died Friday evening when
he and two cohorts accidentally triggered a chemical blast in a mobile home
at 328 Lawson Road, according to Chief Deputy Ronnie Lawson of the Hawkins
County Sheriff's Department.

His body was then taken to a remote spot about three miles away from the
trailer and tossed down an embankment on the side of a road, Lawson said.

Police had been told by the sole survivor of the explosion, 47-year-old
David E. Lee, that Kinsler's corpse had been dragged from the trailer and
buried by a third accomplice in the meth-brewing operation, Phillip L.
Long, also 47.

"The information we originally had was that he had been buried, but he
hadn't been," Lawson explained.

Kinsler's body was found by Deputy Gary Murrell and Detective Brad Depew
about 11 a.m. Tuesday, he said.

"It was obvious that he died from chemical burns," Lawson said.

After disposing of the corpse, Long returned to the damaged trailer and
spent the weekend with Lee. The two men breathed toxic fumes released by
the blast for the next two days, and Long eventually collapsed and died in
the bathroom, according to police accounts.

The only information police have on the weekend's activities in the trailer
came from a brief statement made by Lee after he called E-911 about 10 a.m.
Monday because he was having difficulty breathing. He was initially taken
to a Kingsport hospital but was transported Tuesday to Erlanger Medical
Center in Chattanooga.

Lee, who owns the property, might face criminal charges in connection with
the incident if he survives, Lawson said.

"He's on a ventilator, and he's in extremely critical condition," Lawson said.

Authorities believe the men didn't seek medical attention because of the
illegal nature of their enterprise.

The trailer didn't sustain significant damage in the explosion, but the
structure was so contaminated by toxic chemicals that specially trained
teams from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration couldn't enter until late Monday night.

"It's not a blast-type explosion, like a bomb," Lawson said. "It's more
like when a champagne bottle pops - it just blows up in your face. That's
why none of the neighbors heard it."

The agents who entered the trailer were surprised by the size of the drug
lab, which was apparently not one of the many fly-by-night methamphetamine
operations that have become so common in northeastern Tennessee, he continued.

"They had enough components (in the trailer) for this meth lab to
continuously operate for six to eight months," Lawson said.

The most hazardous chemical found by agents was anhydrous ammonia, a
caustic substance that permeated the building's interior.

"This stuff is highly toxic," Lawson explained. "If you put it in a
container that doesn't have the right type of valves on it, it will
immediately eat though the valves and burst out into the air in the form of
a vapor."

The first ambulance workers and sheriff's deputies on the scene got a
firsthand lesson in the dangers of methamphetamine production when they
pulled Lee from the trailer and nearly poisoned themselves in the process,
he continued.

Four EMS workers and five deputies had to undergo decontamination
procedures immediately following their exposure to the chemicals, officials
said.

Lawson, who didn't even enter the trailer, was one of four first responders
who ended up being washed down at an area hospital.

"The paramedics and officers were inside the trailer before they even
realized what had happened," Lawson said. "They were contaminated
immediately. The chemicals are odorless and tasteless ... All I did was
step inside the ambulance to talk to Mr. Lee and I was contaminated.

"I had to go to the hospital and take a shower outside, throw all my
clothes away and then go inside naked to take another shower and give a
blood test. I have to throw away all my clothes and clean my car."

Lawson said the trailer won't be completely decontaminated for another two
to three weeks, and the criminal investigation is ongoing.