Crime & Safety

Cobb Man Indicted For Manufacturing PCP Leading to Explosion

Coleman Warnock, of Powder Springs, is being sought by law enforcement.

An Atlanta man has been arraigned on federal charges relating to the manufacture of PCP that led to a dangerous south Fulton county house fire when the clandestine laboratory exploded in July 2013.

A second defendant from west Cobb county who was named in the indictment, is being sought by law enforcement.

On January 14, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against the defendants, Coleman Warnock, 41, of Powder Springs, and Adrian Banks, 39, of Atlanta, charging them with one count of conspiracy to manufacture PCP, four counts related to the manufacture of at least one kilogram of PCP, and one count of creating a substantial risk of harm to human life while attempting to manufacture PCP.

Two days later, Banks was arrested and has been detained. Coleman Warnock remains a fugitive. If anyone has any information on Warnock’s whereabouts please contact the Drug Enforcement Administration at 404-893-7000.

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According to United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: On July 6, 2013, Fulton County Fire/Rescue responded to a citizen’s call about a house fire in a Fairburn neighborhood. 

The house was destroyed after burning for almost two days. Further investigation revealed the presence of numerous barrels and canisters of chemicals suggesting the presence of a large, clandestine, PCP lab in the residence. No one other than the individuals involved in the manufacture of PCP was harmed in the fire. 

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“An entire neighborhood was put at risk by the explosion of this PCP lab,” said Yates in a news release. “This type of drug also puts our entire community at risk. Thankfully, this lab is out of business and our citizens in that neighborhood are safe.”

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.


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