Michigan
Man accused of possessing meth-making substances at Michigan State
LANSING, MI — A man has been accused of possessing substances to operate a methamphetamine lab after authorities found him inside the largest academic building at Michigan State University earlier this week.
Xin Tong, 31, was charged with malicious destruction of a building over $20,000 and felony controlled substance, operating or maintaining a lab involving methamphetamine, according to the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office. Tong was discovered inside Wells Hall at around 9:30 p.m. local time on April 26 after campus police responded to a call about a suspicious person, odor, and substances on the floor.
He was initially charged with misdemeanor trespassing after he was found carrying multiple bags in the building, according to court documents. After a search was conducted, officers found multiple substances that are known to be used to manufacture methamphetamine.
Authorities said he was also in possession of an expired student identification card but had no apparent current affiliation with the school.
During an arraignment hearing on April 29, Ingham County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Nicole Matusko told a judge that Tong was not a current student at Michigan State University and had not been enrolled since 2022. Police and university officials have not responded to questions about how Tong gained access to the building or how often he frequented the building before April 26.
The announcement of Tong’s arrest came two days after the university suddenly closed Wells Hall at the start of final exams week. The university initially said the building would close for the day on April 27 after an “unknown chemical” was found, but later shifted course and announced it would be closed all week.
Michigan State University Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Emily Guerrant did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Tong’s affiliation with the school, the Lansing State Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
Damage still being assessed
Campus police listed his offense date in court records as April 10, 16 days before authorities said they found him in the building with chemicals and materials that can be used to manufacture methamphetamine.
Campus police said in a statement that Tong had sodium hydroxide pellets, hydrochloric acid, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, and butane, all of which can be purchased legally through retail stores or online.
Court documents said the substances caused an estimated $20,000 in damages, specifically in doors and flooring at the university. During a news conference on April 29, Michigan State University Police Chief Mike Yankowski said the damage is still being assessed, but is a “significant amount more than $20,000.”
Tong is being held at the Ingham County jail on a $500,000 cash bond, according to court records. He would face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $25,000 if convicted on the methamphetamine lab charge, and up to 10 years and/or $15,000 or three times the amount of the destruction, whichever is greater, if convicted on the property destruction charge.
A jail inmate database indicates the U.S. Department of Homeland Security placed a bond hold on Tong, effective April 28. Tong is scheduled for a preliminary examination on May 14.
Michigan State University building evacuated hours after police found bags with unknown substances
Yankowski said officers responded to a malicious destruction of property call on April 23. Officers also responded to other calls about unknown substances found on floors and doors throughout Wells Hall, but Yankowski did not specify when those calls occurred.
When officers responded to a call on April 26, they found Tong on the fifth floor of the building with four to five bags, according to Yankowski. Officers received a search warrant to review the bags around 4 a.m. on April 27, at which point several labeled and unlabeled containers with unknown liquids were found, Yankowski said.
“All of this was occurring early on Monday morning, and because of the presence of those unknown substances, the MSU Police Department made the decision to evacuate Wells Hall so we could have a better understanding of what these substances are,” Yankowski said.
The announcement that Wells Hall was being evacuated and closed came shortly after 10 a.m. on April 27, hours after a search warrant was obtained and after some students arrived at the building for final exams. He said the investigation continued from April 27 into April 28, when the building was closed again, and an additional search was conducted.
Yankowski did not say whether Tong was seen on the cameras entering the building. He said Wells Hall is typically open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. local time during the week and closed on weekends, though it is sometimes open for events.
The investigation remains active, and the department is continuing to review digital evidence and awaiting lab results from the Michigan State Police, according to Yankowski.
Campus police say they did not ‘locate a methamphetamine laboratory’
In an update on the investigation on April 30, Michigan State University police said they “did not locate a methamphetamine laboratory inside Wells Hall.”
“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,” according to campus police. “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.”
Wells Hall was supposed to hold 50 exams on April 27 before the closure was announced. The building is just east of Spartan Stadium and about a half-mile walk away from the Breslin Center, where around a dozen graduation ceremonies will be held at the university before the end of the weekend.
Bralyn Campbell told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that he was halfway through the final exam in his second-year Japanese course when an alarm sounded inside Wells Hall on the morning of April 27. He said students had noticed a bunch of police officers outside, but did not learn until later that they were investigating whether there was a meth lab in the building.
“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,” Campbell said. “When we saw the news that it was like a meth lab thing, it was like a couple days after.”
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; John Wisely, Detroit Free Press