A man charged with maintaining a meth lab inside Wells Hall at Michigan State University appears to be a former student at the school.
Ingham County prosecutors charged Xin Tong, 31, with malicious destruction of a building over $20,000 and felony controlled substance, operating or maintainng a lab involving methamphetamine.
“Officers contacted defendant Xin Tong and identified him with his expired MSU student ID,” campus police wrote in an affidavit seeking charges against him.
MSU’s administration wouldn’t confirm Tong’s connection to the school.
“The university has no releasable information regarding the individual,” spokeswoman Amber McCann told the Free Press on April 30 in an email.
Campus police posted a statement on their website Thursday about the investigation.
“During the investigation, MSU Police did not locate a methamphetamine laboratory inside Wells Hall,” the statement said, without elaboration on why Tong was charged with operating a lab. “The suspect was found in possession of chemicals and/or equipment that could be used in the production of methamphetamine, which were contained within his personal property.”
The statement continued: “The felony malicious destruction of building criminal charge is based on allegations that between April 10 and April 26, the suspect intentionally damaged and/or destroyed property within Wells Hall.”
In the affadivit seeking charges, police wrote that they had been dispatched there Sunday “for a suspicious person, odor and substances on the floor.”
They said they found Tong carrying several bags and later obtained a warrant to search them.
“Officers confiscated multiple bottles of different substances known to be used to manufacture meth from Def. Tong’s bags,” according to the affidavit. “The substances Tong was in possession of also destroyed approximately $20,000 or more of Wells Hall, specifically multiple doors and flooring.”
Police said they have identified the chemicals as sodium hydroxide pellets, hydrochloric acid, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone and butane.
At an arraignment Wednesday, East Lansing District Judge Molly Hennessey Greenwalt set Tong’s bond at $500,000 cash. He was being held at the Ingham County Jail and is scheduled to return to court May 8.
Online jail records show the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has placed a hold on Tong.
The lab investigation prompted MSU to evacuate the building, though not until Monday. The Detroit Free Press left a request for comment from the school on the reason for the delay.
Fire alarm during finals
Bralyn Campbell said he was halfway through the final exam in his second-year Japanese course when an alarm sounded inside Wells Hall on Monday morning.
He said students had noticed a bunch of police officers outside but didn’t learn until later that they were investigating whether there was a meth lab in the building.
“So after we started our final, that’s when an alarm started going off and all of us are very confused. We’re like, is there a fire?” he said. “We had to evacuate the building in the middle of taking our final.”
Campell, a 20-year-old sophomore from Milan majoring in political theory and constitutional democracy, said he exited the west side of the building near Spartan Stadium. He stood outside with several dozen other students for 30 to 40 minutes.
“Police said, no, we can’t even go back in the building to take our final,” he said. “They had to like bring all of our backpacks out individually.”
Campbell’s exam began at 9:45 a.m. and he estimates the alarm went off about 30 minutes after that. Wells Hall is the largest academic building on the MSU campus. Its multiple wings are home to the mathematics department as well as English and other languages.
MSU said the building will be closed through May 1.
“Additional information was received early Tuesday suggesting further evaluation of the building is needed,” the school said in a statement posted on its website. “There continues to be no known threat to the campus community.”
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant created through a cooking process involving multiple chemicals. It’s typically made in remote locations to avoid detection.
“The chemicals used to produce methamphetamine are extremely hazardous,” according to the U.S. Justice Department. “Some are highly volatile and may ignite or explode if mixed or stored improperly. Fire and explosion pose risks not only to the individuals producing the drug but also to anyone in the surrounding area, including children, neighbors and passersby.”
Campbell said he didn’t notice any unusual odors in Wells Hall on Monday and everything seemed to be normal on the first floor, where his exam was held. Tong was located on the fifth floor, police said.
“I thought it was interesting because we weren’t told anything about what was going on, just that there was a potential, like, chemical leak,” he said. “When we saw the news that it was like a meth lab thing, it was like a couple days after.”
The school said in a statement that all exams scheduled in Wells Hall had been successfully moved to other locations. Campbell said his exam resumed later Monday at the Teaching and Learning Facility, also known as the STEM building. He said the interruption was a distraction but he still completed his work.
“I got a 73%, which was all I needed to get a 4.0 in the class,” he said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Contact John Wisely: jwisely@freepress.com. On X: @jwisely
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State meth lab suspect appears to be former student
Reporting by John Wisely, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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