Photo: Ruben Morales and Amanda Perez
An explosion at the apartments on the 200 block of South Sierra Vista Street triggered calls to the Porterville Police Department the afternoon of December 26, 2020.
A clandestine lab or Butane Honey Oil Lab, where THC is extracted from marijuana to make “wax,” was being operated out to the apartment where the explosion occurred. Wax, a highlight flammable substance, was found in the apartment along with seven pounds of marijuana and finished product.
Three children, ages 10, 5, and 1, were in the apartment when the explosion occurred. Despite the heat and force of the explosion searing items in the home and blowing out windows, the children were not physically injured. However, conditions inside the residence were described as “deplorable.”
Their parents, 28-year old Ruben Morales and 31-year old Amanda Perez, were arrested for operating/possessing a clandestine lab and child endangerment. Both were booked at the Tulare County Jail. Morales’s bail is set at $250,000 and Perez’s at $100,000. The children were taken into the custody of Child Welfare Services.
Photos from the Porterville Police Department
