Officers say the house reeked of meth fumes

PORTAGE, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A meth lab scare in Portage kicked Portage Police, hazmat crews, and Child Protective Services into high gear Tuesday afternoon.

The incident took place at the end of Newells Street. A domestic situation drew officers into a home that they say reeked of meth fumes.

Neighbors tell Newschannel 3 that it happened at a house that's no stranger to domestic violence. A women who lived there with her boyfriend returned with an officer to pick up her belongings. The boyfriend has a 12-year-old living in the home.

Neighbors who spoke with the woman say she may have told the man she was bringing officers to help get her property. When they went inside the home, officers say the smell made it clear that meth cooking had just taken place.

Hazmat crews moved in, but were unable to find the lab. Officers say it appears the homeowner had just cleared it out.

"The people from the SWET organization went in, but they did not find anything, which gives us the indication that the suspect probably took his lab with him when he departed," said Sgt. Jess Kalis of the Portage Police Department.

"We hear it's a meth lab," said a neighbor, "and it's just scary, there's fire trucks here and ambulances here too and we just didn't think we lived in this kind of neighborhood, I mean it's not that kind of neighborhood."

Child Protective Services were called in as part of procedure. Officers say they will continue their investigation and that the man and his son will be allowed to remain in the house for the time being.