Guests sneak meth lab at friend's house

HASTINGS, Mich. (WOOD) - A man thought he was doing a good deed by allowing his friends to stay with him and his family.

But the home turned into a place to make methamphetamine unbeknownst to him.

The homeowner allowed two of his buddies to stay at the residence in the 500 block of W. Grand Street in Hastings. After awhile, the homeowner began to notice some abnormal activity inside the home and found components that appeared to be used in the manufacturing of meth.

So the homeowner took some of those components to the Hastings Police Department on Nov. 21. The man was concerned for the safety of his wife and their four children, aged 3 to 15.

Hastings officers went to the house and talked with the man's friends -- 26-year-old Michael Lizotte of Hastings and 29-year-old Jack Anthony Wagner of Nashville.

Police found an active met lab inside the home, as well as components for the use of the meth lab. A small amount of meth was confiscated.

Michigan State Police assisted with the investigation.

Lizotte and Wagner were arrested on charges of operating and maintaining a meth lab, operating and maintaining a meth lab near a specified place, and possession of meth. Their bonds were set at $25,000.