NORTH WEBSTER – Police say a Warsaw man who told them he was seriously hurt Wednesday while trying to burn some trash was actually injured when a meth lab exploded.
Kosciusko County police responded to the emergency room at Kosciusko Community Hospital after 31-year-old Toby Jackson was driven there by his mother with severe burns. Jackson told police he was using gasoline to attempt to burn the trash when fire exploded back to the gas can and then onto him.
Jackson was reluctant to give them an exact location where the accident happened, say police. Information provided to undercover officers, however, led them to an address near the intersection of Armstrong Road and County Road 675 East, just west of North Webster. That’s where DTF officers found a one-pot meth lab that had apparently exploded, along with meth materials and related items.
Jackson was moved to the St. Joseph Regional Burn Center in Fort Wayne where he remains in serious condition with 2nd degree burns to his arms and neck and 3rd degree burns to his hands.
Potential charges related to the meth lab and items located at the incident scene are being forwarded to the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
The investigation continues into the case.
