Grandmother's meth lab burns toddler, authorities say
By RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer on Feb 7, 2013, at 2:06 AM Updated on 2/07/13 at 8:11 AM
Brenda Toniece Vann: She was arrested on complaints of child abuse and methamphetamine manufacturing after police say her 2-year-old granddaughter suffered chemical burns at Vann's home
Local
Her biological father from Oklahoma and her adoptive parents from South Carolina spent several hours Monday and Tuesday on the sixth floor of the state's Kerr office building, where the Court of Civil Appeals meets in Tulsa.
A cause of the fire is under investigation.
Read the Tulsa World’s continuing coverage of the meth epidemic.
TAHLEQUAH - A 2-year-old girl is recovering from chemical burns she suffered in connection with her grandmother's meth lab, Cherokee County Undersheriff Jason Chennault said.
Brenda Toniece Vann, 54, is jailed with bail set at $75,000 on complaints of child abuse and manufacturing methamphetamine, Chennault said. She was arrested Friday.
The toddler, who was treated at the W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, was burned on her side from her armpit to her diaper line, Chennault said.
He said Wednesday that he was unsure of the seriousness of the burn or whether the girl, who is now in Cherokee Nation protective custody, had been released from the hospital.
Vann was caring for the girl when the burns occurred, Chennault said.
A search warrant conducted at Vann's residence yielded a meth lab, lab components and the shirt the toddler apparently had been wearing when she was burned, authorities said.
Dog and cat feces littered the home, Chennault said.
"Investigators said that it was pretty nasty ... pretty much your typical meth house," he said.
Vann has previous drug and larceny convictions in Cherokee County, records show.
Rhett Morgan 918-581-8395
rhett.morgan@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Girl, 2, suffers chemical burns from meth lab, authorities say
Local
Her biological father from Oklahoma and her adoptive parents from South Carolina spent several hours Monday and Tuesday on the sixth floor of the state's Kerr office building, where the Court of Civil Appeals meets in Tulsa.
A cause of the fire is under investigation.
