4-year-old boy rescued from alleged Katy-area meth house

KATY, Texas (FOX 26) - A 4-year-old boy is rescued from a Katy-area house that officers say was a dangerous methamphetamine lab. Investigators stormed the home in the West Memorial subdivision and what they found inside was troublesome.  

Just beyond bags of drugs and past drug pipes, Harris County Precinct 5 deputy constables say they discovered a young boy whose mother was at work and they say he was left unsupervised.

"You’re in a situation like that, it’s just a matter of time until you break a tube or stick yourself with a needle or something of that nature, so I believe the child was in danger, absolutely," explains Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap. 

In addition to marijuana and methamphetamine, deputies say the house was full of rat feces, filth and clutter.

"No less than deplorable," describes Constable Heap. "Something people shouldn’t be living in, especially a 4-year-old." He adds that the young boy’s bedroom was a small closet which is steps from the bathroom where the meth was being manufactured.  

"Any time you’re cooking up methamphetamine, you can get exposure through your skin and actually test positive for methamphetamine," says Constable Heap. 

"I didn't think we had things like that going on in our neighborhood," says A.V. Hartman, who lives in the West Memorial subdivision.  

Deputy constables found the boy’s mother, 32-year-old April Burrier, who is now charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and endangering a child. They tried to comfort the boy as best as they could, even giving him a big Teddy bear, before he was taken into Child Protective Services custody.   

Investigators say someone notified them who had noticed a lot of people coming and going at strange hours and staying for short periods of time at the home. That information led investigators to the house where they say drug deals were poorly concealed behind a tarp at the front door.

"That type of activity is information that allows us as law enforcement to be able to start this type of surveillance and allows us to act on cases like this," says Constable Heap.          

Deputy constables say each room in the house was actually being rented by different people. The man believed to have been operating the meth lab wasn't there when the home was raided but there is now a warrant for his arrest.