Two charged with meth manufacturing near Parker Elementary School

John J. Rosen, 48, and Pamela Lackner, 47 (Photo: Cortland Police Department)

CORTLAND, N.Y. — Two Cortland residents have been charged with manufacturing methamphetamine in the attic of a home on Madison Street earlier this week.

John J. Rosen, 48, and Pamela Lackner, 47, are accused of making meth at Lackner's residence at 86 Madison Street, in Cortland, late Monday evening.

At around 11:30 p.m., city police officers and firefighters were called to the home for a reported explosion in the attic of the building.

Lackner and Rosen fled the scene, but police determined that a methamphetamine lab was the cause of the explosion and subsequent fire in the attic of the home, located across the street from Parker Elementary School, according to Lt. Richard Troyer with the Cortland Police Department.

Cortland firefighters remove items from a home at 86 Madison Street Tuesday morning (Peter Blanchard/Cortland Voice)

Three other residents were inside the home when the explosion occurred, police said. They were assisted by the Red Cross.

Lackner was the only person injured from the explosion. She was treated for minor burns at Cortland Regional Medical Center, according to police.

Lackner was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with two counts of third-degree unlawful manufacturing of methamphetamine. Rosen was charged with second-degree unlawful manufacturing of methamphetamine due to a prior meth manufacturing conviction, Lt. Troyer said. They were also charged with misdemeanors of reckless endangerment and conspiracy.

Rosen and Lackner were arraigned in Cortland City Court and taken to Cortland County Jail with no bail set.

Lt. Troyer said the pair will not face any increased penalties for manufacturing methamphetamine in a school zone.

Under New York State's drug-free school zone law, increased penalties for drug-related crimes only apply to drug trafficking, not manufacturing.