ROCK HILL, S.C. — Ronnie Brady Jr., 35, admitted he's been addicted to drugs most of his life. Brady left Arkansas because he was on the run from police there, and turned up in York County.
Back in April, he was staying with his step-mom and niece at the Rock Hill motel because he had nowhere else to go. Brady went to a room next door in the motel, and started making meth.
At 1 a.m., the meth lab exploded. The room burst into flames, melting the TV set and turning the phone into a gooey glob of plastic.
As the room burned, Brady didn't stop to warn any of the other sleeping motel guests. He ran from the motel with the leg of his pants on fire. It was the sixth time he'd suffered burns trying to make the drugs, even needing skin grafts one time.
On Thursday, only Channel 9 was in court when Brady faced a judge, and apologized.
"I'm very sorry for what I've done. I just want to apologize to all y'all, and ask you to please have mercy on me," Brady said.
His father, Ronnie Brady Sr., said his son had tried to stay clean, but couldn't.
"He's battled the demon of drug addiction for most of his life," he said. "His family loves him more than life itself."
Brady has three children, ages 19, 17 and one-year-old. Several of his family members were in the court room to support him.
Prosecutors pushed for a hefty prison sentence because of where the crime happened, and the extreme danger to other guests at that motel. They wanted this case to set an example.
"My god it could've been catastrophic," said 16th Circuit solicitor Kevin Brackett. "I mean, all these people. It's 1 o'clock in the morning and all these people were asleep in their beds. They had no idea."
Brady's sentence could've been as short as 10 years on a third conviction for manufacturing meth. However, before sentencing him to 25 years, Judge Mark Hayes called his crime astonishing.
Brackett said he hopes the stiff sentence has an impact in the meth community, so this doesn't happen at a hotel or apartment complex again.
"I think it sends the message to everybody out there when you're making the decision where you want to cook meth, I hope they remember Mr. Brady's sad story," bracket said.
York County drug agents have discovered 16 meth labs so far this year, and 35 of them in the last three years.
Twenty-seven people have been arrested in 2013 for making the highly volatile and addictive drug.
Man gets 25 years after meth lab explodes at Rock Hill motel
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