Man accused of running a meth lab inside Michigan State University's largest academic building

A 31-year-old man was arrested for allegedly operating a meth lab inside a building on Michigan State University's campus.

Police said Xin Tong was found inside Wells Hall on Sunday with several chemicals, including acid and butane. Both can be purchased legally online.

Police said the chemicals caused more than $20,000 in property damage to the building.

The building was evacuated, according to a campus alert. It stated, "The university has been alerted to the presence of an unidentified chemical in Wells Hall. While emergency personnel evaluate the substance, and out of an abundance of caution, the university has decided to evacuate Wells Hall. The health and safety of our campus community is our top priority. There is no threat to the campus at this time but we ask the community to avoid the area."

Wells Hall is the largest academic building on Michigan State's campus, and is located across the road from the school's football stadium, according to the university website. Man accused of running a meth lab inside a Michigan State University building

Wells Hall has been closed since Monday and will remain closed through at least Friday. Officials are checking the building to ensure it is safe for people to return and have rescheduled exams that were set to take place in the building.

Police say they will continue to update the community as the investigation moves forward.

Prosecutors charged Tong with operating a meth lab and malicious destruction of a building. He was arraigned late Wednesday afternoon and is currently being held at the Ingham County Jail. His bond is set at $500,000.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

This story was originally published by the Scripps News Group station in Lansing, Michigan.