Not guilty plea in fatal San Francisco Sunset District home explosion
SAN FRANCISCO -- Darron Price, whose wife died in a horrific home explosion and fire, allegedly triggered by an illegal drug manufacturing operation, pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter and other charges.
During a morning appearance before San Francisco Superior Court Judge Victor Hwang, Price was formally charged with involuntary manslaughter, manufacturing a controlled substance, four counts of reckless burning, two counts of child endangerment and one count of elder abuse.
He pleaded not guilty to all counts and was ordered to return to court on Tuesday when a time and date for his preliminary hearing will be set.
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Judge Hwang also allowed Price to remain under home detention with electronic monitoring.
Price's wife of 15 years and mother of three children -- 51-year-old Rita Price -- died in the Feb. 9th blast and fire that has been linked to illegal cannabis oil production using butane.
She had a stroke or brain aneurysm years ago that impacted the left side of her body, which is why she was in a wheelchair and could not escape the flames.
Her caregiver was hospitalized with severe burns.
The Price's two-story home on 22nd Avenue in San Francisco's Sunset District was reduced to a pile of charred debris. Homes on either side have been red-tagged and are uninhabitable.
Investigators say they found equipment used to manufacture hash oil in the rubble of the home following the explosion.
Making hash oil, a highly concentrated and potent cannabis extract, is extremely volatile and dangerous. Butane, an odorless, extremely flammable gas, is used in the process.
"The butane lighters, if you think about how they operate, they're designed to ignite immediately," said retired FBI agent Jeff Harp. "They're very volatile, and so if you're using those types of chemicals in an atmosphere or in an area where you have say a dryer that has an ignition source, you got a recipe for disaster."