Michigan State U. Building Shut Down After Discovery of Meth Lab

“Wells Hall was closed for three days before MSU announced that information publicly.”

Posted by Mike LaChance Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 12:00pm 1 Comment

Good thing there were no accidents. These labs have a tendency to explode.

MSU police say meth lab prompted closure of Wells Hall this week

The days-long closure of Wells Hall on Michigan State University’s campus this week apparently stemmed from a meth lab.

In a Wednesday, April 29 evening news release, MSU police said a 31-year-old man was arraigned on felony charges related to operating and maintaining a meth lab and destruction of property.

MSU police said they responded to reports of property damage inside Wells Hall on Sunday, April 26, and found Xin Tong with multiple substances that can be purchased legally, including sodium hydroxide pellets, hydrochloric acid, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone and butane, according to a release from the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety. He was charged with trespassing in 54B District Court for an offense listed on Sunday, April 26, although police did not mention trespassing in their statement.

Wells Hall was closed for three days before MSU announced that information publicly.

In public statements, MSU officials on Monday, April 27 said Wells Hall would be closed for the day after an “unknown chemical” was found in the building on Monday morning. On Tuesday, they changed course and said Wells Hall would remain closed all week.

Late Wednesday, MSU police released Tong’s name in a statement and said he had been arraigned on felony criminal charges for malicious destruction of a building over $20,000 and felony controlled substance-operate/maintain lab involving methamphetamine. He is being held at the Ingham County jail on a $500,000 cash or surety bond.

The release does not specify if Tong has any affiliation with the university.