On August 21, 2014 at approximately 10:25 p.m., Officers were dispatched to 1130 Nevada Avenue to investigate a residential fire.
As the officers arrived, they found the exterior portion of the kitchen on fire and heard loud explosions coming from the backyard. The occupants, Austin Goldstein and Kevin Amabile, were attempting to extinguish the fire.
As the Fire Department worked to extinguish the fire, officers noticed evidence of a butane hash oil laboratory.
The Merced Multi-Agency Narcotics Taskforce responded to the scene. The Narcotics Task Force received a search warrant for the residence and located additional evidence indicating Goldstein and Amabile were involved in the illegal operation.
“Butane hash oil laboratories are very dangerous; they can explode with the slightest spark, such as turning on a light. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured as a result of the explosion.”
- Marcelino Cortez, Police Officer
Austin Goldstein and Kevin Amabile were booked into the Los Banos Police Department Jail Facility for illegal manufacturing of a controlled substance. Both remain in custody at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility in lieu of $510,000.00.
To leave an anonymous crime tip call 209-827-7070 Ext. 288. If you have access to a computer and the internet you can also leave an anonymous tip at the Police Department’s web page at www.losbanos.org. At the bottom of the “Contact” page simply click on the “report graffiti and other crime” link or visit the Merced Area Crime Stoppers by telephone at 1-855-725-2420, or at www.mercedareacrimestoppers.org
