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November 10, 2009

Arrest made in hotel fire

By Patrick McCreless The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — Cullman County narcotics agents arrested a Bessemer man Friday, two weeks after he alleged caused a fire with a meth lab at a local hotel.

Chad Alan Sheckles, 21, was charged with unlawful manufacturing of a controlled substance in the first degree and arson in the third degree. He was arrested at the Cullman County Detention Center after being extradited from Mississippi.

“He turned himself in to a police department in Mississippi,” said Investigator David Nassetta with the Cullman Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET). “They called us and we told them we had an ongoing investigation, then we went ahead and got the warrants ready.”

Investigators began searching for Sheckles soon after a report was made on Oct. 21 of a fire at the Days Inn hotel on Highway 278.

“He was the registered person in the room where the fire originated,” Nassetta said. “He and some others were just passing through on their way to Tennessee. He was our suspect.”

Once the Cullman Police Department received the call and responded, the Cullman Fire Department ensured surrounding rooms were evacuated. CNET agents and members of Cullman County HAZMAT then entered the room and gathered evidence, including remnants of a meth lab. By that time, Sheckles had fled the area.

“He was using the one-pot cooking method and he apparently had the wrong combination of chemicals,” Nassetta said. “It caught on fire.”

Nassetta said Sheckles apparently tried to douse the burning lab in the toilet. However, due to the battery lithium in the meth lab, the water just made the fire worse.

“Lithium reacts with water in a violent manner,” Nassetta said. “I guess he didn’t realize he was making it worse.”

The toilet was severely damaged and the room received a lot of smoke damage. However, the toxic chemicals from the lab caused the most concern.

“The health department ended up getting involved,” Nassetta said. “They (the hotel) had to air out the whole top level of the complex. The biggest concern was the decontamination procedure.”

Sheckles is incarcerated at the Cullman County Detention Center on a $1 million bond.



‰ Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.

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