When probation officers went to a residence on Sandy Ridge Road in Barnesville on Wednesday to check on a registered sex offender, they discovered a meth lab on the premises.
According to Belmont County Sheriff Fred Thompson, probation officers went to the home to do a regular checkup, and it was then that they discovered the meth lab. The sheriff's department was called, and once deputies arrived they decided to call the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification and meth lab extradition team.
Dennis Lowe, BCII special agent, said, "We think we found some finished product, and we definitely found components that manufacture meth."
The resident, Michael E. Maleski, 22, of 60300 Sandy Ridge Road, was taken into custody by the Adult Parole Authority and was booked into the county jail on a charge of probation violation. Thompson said additional charges of manufacturing methamphetamines are expected to be filed against Maleski.
Law enforcement officials said Maleski and his neighbors are fortunate no one was hurt, as meth labs have explosive and toxic capabilities.
