A 40-year-old man who was injured after a meth lab exploded in his Dickinson apartment Feb. 11 pleaded not guilty to charges during a hearing at the Stark County Courthouse Monday afternoon.
Shane Roy Cook is charged with reckless endangerment for the explosion on 10th Avenue West and for allegedly possessing a controlled substance, according to court records.
"It actually had blown one of the windows in the living room out of the frame of the window and removed some of the ceiling tiles," Tara Haugen, special agent with the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, testified at the hearing. "You could tell where there were burn marks in the bathroom."
The apartment had to be evacuated, she added.
Haugen said Cook told her one of his roommates had cooked meth the evening prior to the explosion.
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"The next morning he had offered to take out the trash from the cook the night before," Haugen said. "He was trying to retrieve more methamphetamine from it and it exploded."
She said the meth was cooked in a soda bottle using a method called "shake and bake" which is highly volatile.
"It's just a quicker version," Haugen said. "They can do it wherever and it's really convenient. It takes about 30 minutes to an hour."
She said Cook left the apartment building prior to authorities arriving, but then returned to the scene because he needed medical attention.
"The apartment had been locked and the fire department had to make forced entry," Haugen said.
A couple and their child also resided in the apartment, but traveled to Oklahoma the day before the explosion, she said.
"My understanding is they're still in Oklahoma," Haugen said. "They were removed from that apartment after the explosion and we're unaware of them living anywhere else here."
Whether the other couple will face charges is unclear.
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He faces a Class A felony, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine along with a Class C felony, which has a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Cook also pleaded guilty to charges incurred while he was incarcerated at Southwest Multi-County Correction Center.
"He actually assaulted another inmate there -- got mad and just started punching him," said Kevin McCabe, Cook's attorney.
In exchange for his plea, Cook will serve 120 days for misdemeanor assault and have a felony aggravated assault charge dismissed.
"There's a reasonable doubt as to whether the victim in this case ... was actually rendered unconscious or not," said Jim Hope, Stark County state's attorney. "The agreement seems to fit the facts."
