CAIRO - A Ritchie County man has been arrested for allegedly operating a methamphetamine lab.
Guy Richard Hardy, 31, Route 1, Box 173 B, Cairo, was arrested around 10:30 p.m. Monday by troopers of the West Virginia State Police, said Sgt. J.E. Stout II. He is being held in the North Central Regional Jail in lieu of $25,000 bond.
Stout said Cpl. A.M. Pringle and Cpl. O.S. Starsick responded to Hardy's residence after receiving an anonymous tip about an alleged methamphetamine lab at the residence. The officers allegedly observed activity in and around a storage building in the front of the residence, he said.
Stout said Hardy gave the officers consent to search the building. The search led to the discovery of alleged methamphetamine lab components.
Hardy was cooperative and was taken into custody without incident. A hazardous materials disposal unit from Parkersburg responded to assist with cleanup of the scene.
Police officials said the manufacture of methamphetamine involves chemical processes that use some dangerous substances. The drug is made in clandestine labs from household materials, police said. Labs can give off noxious fumes, including phosphine gas.
