WINCHESTER TN- A Tennessee family's dream home turned into a nightmare after finding out it was a former meth house.
Rhonda and Jason Holt bought their home in 2004. But it wasn't until earlier this year they learned it was a former meth house.
Their first son- started having respiratory problems at 6 months old. Their second daughter stopped breathing at 5-months old. "That was one of those memories and pictures you can't get out of your head no matter how hard you try to forget" said Rhonda.
Soon after McKenzie their third child was born she had to be rushed to the hospital and spent 4 days on oxygen. Doctors never connected the dots. It wasn't until a neighbor heard about all of their health problems and told Rhonda the previous owner's son had been arrested for manufacturing meth.
Rhonda immediately called police and they confirmed Rhonda's nightmare. The Holt's packed up some things and got out of the house immediately and moved in with Jason's parents. "It never hit me the house! I never dreamed our house would be sentencing our children to this type of life. I kept thinking -why is this happening" said Rhonda.
Rhonda and Jason also had health issues. Jason had kidney problems and Rhonda suffered debilitating migraines. Doctors had her on multiple medications but she says they wouldn't go away no matter what she took. "I couldn't function it got so bad. Some days I couldn't even get out of bed" said Rhonda.
The family has been out of the house for 8-months and already they've seen significant improvements in their children's health. However she says the youngest is still suffering with respatory problems. "We thank God everyday for every minute that we've had and all the blessings true blessings now that we are out of the house children are better. It's so nice to see the children run sing and play" said Rhonda.
METH CLEANUP LAWS AND REGULATIONS
Only 21 states have meth lab decontamination regulations and only 17 states have meth lab disclosure laws. Tennessee now has a disclosure law which requires any meth lab bust to be attached to a deed.
In 2005 Tennessee law makers passed meth house disclosure laws. But that was a year too late for the Holt Family. Alabama still doesn't have meth lab decontamination laws or disclosure laws and it's an increasing problem according to law enforcement officers.
The Holt's want their story to be a lesson and an eye opener to other people looking at purchasing a home. They urge you to check with the police first to see if the home has a history of meth busts. "This has been a complete nightmare. Someone who is convicted with meth charges not only hurts them self but those who fall in behind them" added Rhonda.
CLEANUP EFFORTS
After seeing and hearing about the Holt's story. A Huntsville based company is reaching out to offer some help. Enviro-Foam Technologies Vice President Kevin Irvine offered to go inside their home and spray it down with Crystal Clean.
It's a decontaminate they produce locally and has a proven track record to clean up meth houses. Crystal Clean could be the key to the Holt family moving back in their home sooner than they thought. "Our goal was to help this family at no cost. All of us here are fathers so we understand the ramifications of this family and we needed to help them" said Irvine.
Irvine called South Carolina based Hisko Environmental to see if they'd help. It's a professional remediation company that has a lot of experience cleaning up meth houses. After hearing about the Holt's story they were all in to help. Three men drove over 300 miles to help Irvine clean the Holt's home. "It's very fulfilling to see and know when we walk away they can enjoy this home and not have any worries" said Arnie Litchfield Operations Manager for Hisco Environmental.
It took the crew about 6 hours Thursday to complete the entire process. They sprayed down the walls and floors of the home let it soak in for a few hours and then went back and wiped it down with water. They were also able to spray down the basinet that the family used with all three babies. "I am so excited about it because that's priceless. All our babies slept in that basinet and we can't replace it" said Rhonda.
An Industrial Hygienist went in and conducted post testing of the house. Those tests have been sent to an independent lab and the results should be back in 10 days. If the test come back showing no sign of meth residue the family can then move back in.
But they still have a lot of remodeling left to do because before learning about Crystal Clean they ripped up the carpet took out all the cabinets and replaced the drywall. Now they are faced with remodeling costs.
The Holts did say after the test results come back and they get the green light to move back in it will be a peace of mind they never thought they'd have again. "There is no way to say thank you enough" said Rhonda. They are hoping to be back in the house by Thanksgiving.
If you'd like to help the Holt Family you can donate to the family at any Citizens Community Bank.
Reporter: Haley Baker
Copyright 2009 WAAYTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast rewritten or redistributed.
