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| Sentencing set today for Washington’s unusual version of “Breaking Bad” | Sentencing set today for Washington’s unusual version of “Breaking Bad” |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The final chapter in one of the Washington region’s most bizarre recent drug cases — a police officer convicted of trying to cook meth inside a renowned government science lab, and causing a violent explosion — is set to unfold Thursday during a sentencing hearing in federal court. | The final chapter in one of the Washington region’s most bizarre recent drug cases — a police officer convicted of trying to cook meth inside a renowned government science lab, and causing a violent explosion — is set to unfold Thursday during a sentencing hearing in federal court. |
| Christopher Bartley, 41, a former lieutenant and acting chief for the police force at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), could be sent to prison for more than three years if prosecutors have their way. Should Bartley’s attorneys prevail, he would be placed on probation and allowed to live at home in Maryland. | Christopher Bartley, 41, a former lieutenant and acting chief for the police force at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), could be sent to prison for more than three years if prosecutors have their way. Should Bartley’s attorneys prevail, he would be placed on probation and allowed to live at home in Maryland. |
| The requests — laid out in court papers filed ahead of the hearing— reflect starkly different accounts of why Bartley tried to make a small batch of the highly addictive street-drug methamphetamine. The two sides also differ on how much danger Bartley caused to others. His batch blew up on him, sending window panes flying more than 30 feet from the building where he was working alone on a Saturday night at NIST’s sprawling complex in Gaithersburg. | The requests — laid out in court papers filed ahead of the hearing— reflect starkly different accounts of why Bartley tried to make a small batch of the highly addictive street-drug methamphetamine. The two sides also differ on how much danger Bartley caused to others. His batch blew up on him, sending window panes flying more than 30 feet from the building where he was working alone on a Saturday night at NIST’s sprawling complex in Gaithersburg. |
| “The defendant’s conduct endangered the very individuals whom he was charged with protecting,” prosecutors wrote in court papers filed in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. | “The defendant’s conduct endangered the very individuals whom he was charged with protecting,” prosecutors wrote in court papers filed in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. |
| The prosecutors also floated the idea that Bartley wanted to try the drug himself. An analysis of his smart phone, they asserted, revealed that a day before the meth-cook Bartley had clicked on a Web page titled “How Long Does Meth Stay in Your System?” | The prosecutors also floated the idea that Bartley wanted to try the drug himself. An analysis of his smart phone, they asserted, revealed that a day before the meth-cook Bartley had clicked on a Web page titled “How Long Does Meth Stay in Your System?” |
| Bartley pleaded guilty in the case in August. And his attorney Steven VanGrack has said for months that his client was learning how to make meth so he could hold training sessions for fellow officers about the production and dangers of the drug. Knowing how long it stayed in a person’s system was part of that study, VanGrack said. | Bartley pleaded guilty in the case in August. And his attorney Steven VanGrack has said for months that his client was learning how to make meth so he could hold training sessions for fellow officers about the production and dangers of the drug. Knowing how long it stayed in a person’s system was part of that study, VanGrack said. |
| Earlier: A bumbling episode of Breaking Bad | Earlier: A bumbling episode of Breaking Bad |
| In court papers, VanGrack described his client as a man of impeccable character: “A 14-year NIST police officer, an honorable veteran of the U.S. Army, a devoted father, a committed employee, a kind friend, a thoughtful man of faith.” | In court papers, VanGrack described his client as a man of impeccable character: “A 14-year NIST police officer, an honorable veteran of the U.S. Army, a devoted father, a committed employee, a kind friend, a thoughtful man of faith.” |
| VanGrack stressed that while the explosion was dramatic and his client suffered second-degree burns to his arm and singed eyebrows, the meth-cook was done under a fume hood during a quiet weekend evening. Bartley resigned from NIST on July 19, the day after the explosion. | VanGrack stressed that while the explosion was dramatic and his client suffered second-degree burns to his arm and singed eyebrows, the meth-cook was done under a fume hood during a quiet weekend evening. Bartley resigned from NIST on July 19, the day after the explosion. |
| The sentencing documents present new details of drug-making in the least likely of places. | The sentencing documents present new details of drug-making in the least likely of places. |
| Stretching across a 578-acre campus — some 15 miles north of Washington — NIST is better known for its Nobel Prize-winning research on subjects like atomic physics. The Institute has its own police force, responsible for traffic safety, responding to possible crimes, and protecting buildings that house sensitive materials and trade secrets, according to the court flings. | Stretching across a 578-acre campus — some 15 miles north of Washington — NIST is better known for its Nobel Prize-winning research on subjects like atomic physics. The Institute has its own police force, responsible for traffic safety, responding to possible crimes, and protecting buildings that house sensitive materials and trade secrets, according to the court flings. |
| When news broke this summer about Bartley’s case, people naturally made jokes and comparisons to the TV series “Breaking Bad,” whose lead character, Walter White, is a brilliant chemist who makes meth in a pristine, high-tech laboratory. | When news broke this summer about Bartley’s case, people naturally made jokes and comparisons to the TV series “Breaking Bad,” whose lead character, Walter White, is a brilliant chemist who makes meth in a pristine, high-tech laboratory. |
| But the meth cook that Bartley tried was small, crude and relatively simple — known in some circles as the “shake and bake” method. By going online, Bartley could read how to make meth out of cold medicine, household cleaning products and camping fuel. On July 17, according to court documents, he stopped at a Target in Frederick, Md., where he purchased a cold medicine, Suphedrine. The next day, at a Giant store, Bartley purchased a similar medicine, Sudafed. | But the meth cook that Bartley tried was small, crude and relatively simple — known in some circles as the “shake and bake” method. By going online, Bartley could read how to make meth out of cold medicine, household cleaning products and camping fuel. On July 17, according to court documents, he stopped at a Target in Frederick, Md., where he purchased a cold medicine, Suphedrine. The next day, at a Giant store, Bartley purchased a similar medicine, Sudafed. |
| He arrived at work later that day with meth-making notes. He also had the cold medicine, ammonium nitrate pellets (from an ice pack), camping fuel, Drano Crystals, lithium strips cut from four AAA batteries, plastic bottles, a funnel and a coffee grinder. | He arrived at work later that day with meth-making notes. He also had the cold medicine, ammonium nitrate pellets (from an ice pack), camping fuel, Drano Crystals, lithium strips cut from four AAA batteries, plastic bottles, a funnel and a coffee grinder. |
| After slipping inside a building on the edge of the campus, Bartley started his cook. | After slipping inside a building on the edge of the campus, Bartley started his cook. |
| “When he added water to the first bottle, the experiment went awry,” wrote VanGrack, Bartley’s attorney. | “When he added water to the first bottle, the experiment went awry,” wrote VanGrack, Bartley’s attorney. |
| The explosion, not uncommon in the world of meth-making, sent specially designed laboratory “pressure-release windows” flying away from the building, landing as far as 33 feet away. And it did something else as well. | The explosion, not uncommon in the world of meth-making, sent specially designed laboratory “pressure-release windows” flying away from the building, landing as far as 33 feet away. And it did something else as well. |
| “Unbeknownst to the defendant,” prosecutors Leah Jo Bressack and Mara Greenberg wrote, “the explosion he caused activated a silent heat alarm.” | “Unbeknownst to the defendant,” prosecutors Leah Jo Bressack and Mara Greenberg wrote, “the explosion he caused activated a silent heat alarm.” |
| Two NIST firefighters responded, and met Bartley as he was walking near the room. He had the arm injury, singed eyebrows and hair, and “a powdery substance on his pants,” persecutors wrote. He told them he’d been trying to fill his butane lighter under the fume hood, which ignited the explosion. | Two NIST firefighters responded, and met Bartley as he was walking near the room. He had the arm injury, singed eyebrows and hair, and “a powdery substance on his pants,” persecutors wrote. He told them he’d been trying to fill his butane lighter under the fume hood, which ignited the explosion. |
| From there, things grew more chaotic. | From there, things grew more chaotic. |
| Other firefighters and police officers arrived, and found that Bartley had ditched his meth-making supplies — as well as a gas mask and safety glasses — in a nearby trash can and dumpster. He was sent to a hospital for treatment. | Other firefighters and police officers arrived, and found that Bartley had ditched his meth-making supplies — as well as a gas mask and safety glasses — in a nearby trash can and dumpster. He was sent to a hospital for treatment. |
| At 1:27 a.m. the next morning, Bartley emailed his supervisor, titling the communication “tonight’s explosion.” He explained how he had tried to make meth so he could present training to NIST officers and NIST scientists. | At 1:27 a.m. the next morning, Bartley emailed his supervisor, titling the communication “tonight’s explosion.” He explained how he had tried to make meth so he could present training to NIST officers and NIST scientists. |
| It seems clear that prosecutors don’t buy that explanation. “The defendant never mentioned, much less sought authorization, from any of his NIST supervisors to attempt to make methamphetamine,” they wrote. | It seems clear that prosecutors don’t buy that explanation. “The defendant never mentioned, much less sought authorization, from any of his NIST supervisors to attempt to make methamphetamine,” they wrote. |
| Bartley’s attorney sees it differently. | Bartley’s attorney sees it differently. |
| His client joined the NIST force around 2001. He rose through the ranks, served briefly as acting police chief, and became what his attorney termed the “de facto director of training” for the force. | |
| Bartley picked a time — a Saturday night — when relatively few people were on the campus. He selected a specific laboratory that was not in use. He operated under the fume hood. His plan, according to his attorney, was to learn how to cook the drug and then hold a training session that “involved the production of actual methamphetamine.” | |
| Since being charged in the case, Bartley has worked as a shop foreman for the family’s concrete business and worked weekends at a Home Depot. He also volunteers at a youth job-training center. | Since being charged in the case, Bartley has worked as a shop foreman for the family’s concrete business and worked weekends at a Home Depot. He also volunteers at a youth job-training center. |
| VanGrack, his attorney, also stressed the small amount — one gram — of drugs his client was trying to make. | |
| “Importantly,” VanGrack wrote, “the government has acknowledged that there was no indication that Mr. Bartley intended to sell the methamphetamine.” | “Importantly,” VanGrack wrote, “the government has acknowledged that there was no indication that Mr. Bartley intended to sell the methamphetamine.” |