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MILLCREEK — Criminal charges were filed Tuesday against two people injured in a drug lab explosion in June.
Kristen M. Cooper, 33, of Millcreek, and Akbar Shadalo, 30, of Salt Lake City, are charged in 3rd District Court with operating a clandestine lab, a first-degree felony; reckless burning, a class A misdemeanor; and drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors.
On June 28, emergency crews responded to an explosion in the basement of a home at 3329 S. Scott Ave. in Millcreek
Cooper "had severe burns on her arms and face" while Shadalo "had less severe but still serious burns on his hands and face as well," according to charging documents.
The blast knocked the bedroom door off of its hinges, sent debris 35 feet into the backyard, and "the wall to the room had been displaced by 8-10 inches from its proper position," the charges state.
Investigators say the couple was operating a Butane Honey Oil lab when it exploded. BHO, also known as dabs or shatter, is created by extracting THC from marijuana plants using butane.
Related:
2 injured after THC extraction lab explosion inside Millcreek home
Two people were injured, one critically, after a THC extraction lab explosion inside a home Tuesday afternoon, authorities said."When a BHO lab is operated in an enclosed unventilated area, butane can build up in the space and, if exposed to a flame or other ignition source, can cause a severe explosion like the one that occurred in the room in this case," according to court documents.
Police believe the butane that had built up in the basement may have been ignited by a water heater's pilot light. Detectives who investigated the case compared it to a bomb going off in a small room.
Cooper's mother, Donna Curry Leavitt, 61, who also lives in the house, was charged with drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors, after police reported finding a baggie of marijuana and a pipe in her room.
