Boy riding on father's bicycle handlebars burned when 'shake-and-bake' meth lab explodes
BY AMANDA BLAND World Staff Writer
Thursday, October 25, 2012
10/25/12 at 8:00 AM
WAGONER - A man is on suicide watch at the Wagoner County Jail after his 5-year-old son was burned by an apparent shake-and-bake meth lab, deputies said.
Witnesses told police the boy was riding on the handlebars of his father's bicycle in the Rocky Point area north of Wagoner when a bottle the boy was carrying in a plastic bag exploded, burning the left side of his face, Wagoner County Sheriff's Maj. Gary Handley said.
The witnesses called the boy's mother after seeing the explosion Oct. 18 or 19, Handley said. She then made repeated attempts to locate the boy and his father, Stanley Wayne Rice, before finding the boy and taking him to a hospital Oct. 21.
Handley said the boy was living with his father and that the mother notified law enforcement officials.
Rice, 38, offered varying explanations for the source of his son's injuries, saying at one point that he was burned by a barbecue grill, Handley said. But doctors told authorities that the burns were caused by chemicals consistent with single-pot methamphetamine production - the shake-and-bake method in which meth is made in a bottle.
Rice was arrested on a child-abuse complaint. His bail is set at $100,000.
He has attempted suicide three times since his arrest, Handley said.
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services has taken custody of the boy.
Rice has been convicted of felonies that include first-degree rape, burglary and false impersonation.
He was most recently released from prison in February 2011 after serving three years and seven months of a 10-year sentence for assault and battery on a police officer.
Original Print Headline: Boy, 5, is burned in meth-lab explosion
Amanda Bland 918-581-8413
amanda.bland@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Stanley Wayne Rice: The boy's father has been put on suicide watch after three attempts since his arrest on a child-abuse complaint
This 5-year-old boy was burned by an apparent shake-and-bake meth lab between Oct. 18 and 19, according to the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office. His father, Stanley Wayne Rice, is in the Wagoner County Jail on a child-abuse complaint. Courtesy
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