An Oklahoma man has been charged with two counts of murder after a deadly explosion at a marijuana extraction business, authorities said.
The explosion unfolded in the early morning hours on Aug. 27 at Solos Extracts LLC in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, a city outside Tulsa, according to Sand Springs Fire Chief Jeremy Wade. Crews responded shortly after 1 a.m. that morning. Once the fire subsided, they found one person dead inside and another critically injured, who later died at a hospital, Wade said. Dozens of other businesses were damaged in the explosion.
The victims were identified as Michael Newman, 41, and Stephen Scott, 28, reported the Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network.
A felony arrest warrant was filed for Ryan Bassham, 35, who turned himself in to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 30, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the commission of a crime. An attorney who could comment on his behalf was not listed in court records.
Suspect accused of illegally operating business
Two months before the building blew up, a neighboring business owner noticed extremely high levels of carbon dioxide in their business, according to an affidavit. Knowing the two businesses shared a wall, the neighboring business owner told investigators he alerted Bassham and two employees of the high levels.
Investigators later learned that Solos Extracts had operated legally under previous ownership, and Bassham was in the process of purchasing the business.
The neighboring business owner told an investigator the business had been largely inactive for a few years until about six months ago, when he noticed new personnel, box trucks and new equipment in the location, according to the affidavit.
At the time of the explosion, Bassham was not listed as a legal registrant of the business amid the transition, nor did he possess a valid Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority license or Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics registration, according to court documents.
“Therefore, since Bassham did not possess a valid OMMA license or OBN registration, Bassham was illegally manufacturing controlled dangerous substances,” the affidavit reads.
According to an affidavit written by an OSBI agent, Newman told medical personnel as he was being taken to the hospital that he knew the area was not ventilated enough and that he had unplugged something before the building blew up.
After the explosion, investigators said Bassham “instructed associates to destroy their mobile devices, while turning off his own mobile devices.”
He was released on bond after turning himself in on Aug. 30. He was arrested again on Aug. 31 at another allegedly illegal marijuana extraction location near Kellyville, Oklahoma. According to the charging document, he was additionally charged with aggravated manufacturing, aggravated trafficking and the use of a firearm while committing a felony, and is being held without bond in Creek County.
Who were the victims in the explosion?
Newman and Scott were identified in a charging document as the victims who died. They were both employees of the suspect, according to a court document.
According to an online fundraiser, Scott “had the kindest heart, an unforgettable personality, and a way of making the people around him smile.” A memorial service for Scott is scheduled for Sept. 4 at Moore’s Southlawn Funeral Home.
No funeral arrangements for Newman have been announced.