Meth lab found hidden at motel being used as coronavirus shelter, California cops say

Two people were arrested after a meth lab was discovered at a California motel being used as a coronavirus shelter, San Francisco police said.

Police responded to a report of a “strong chemical order” on Saturday at the Civic Center Motor Inn, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Someone had called in about smoke coming from a motel room.

“Two adults were arrested for the operation, which was isolated to one room,” police spokesperson Robert Rueca told the publication. “The incident is currently under investigation by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Police Department.”

“The incident was deemed a hazardous material incident, and San Francisco Fire Department responded to the scene,” Rueca continued. “The scene was contained and deemed environmentally safe.”

San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto told KTVU that there had been regular checks of the motel since March but they stopped on July 1.

“The Sheriff’s Office provided patrol and response to calls for service at established SIP (shelter in place) sites from March through June as part of our Safer Streets Program during the COVID shelter in place,” Miyamoto said, per KTVU. “Deputies responded to domestic disputes, overdoses, and persons in crisis and checked in on all sites every few hours. Patrols ended in July as we prepared for the lifting of health restrictions and the opening of the courts and regular services.”

Both of the people arrested were guests at the motel, according to KTVU. Their names were not released.

San Francisco’s COVID-19 Alternative Housing Program was created to “to provide emergency, temporary housing and shelter options for individuals who are directly affected by the coronavirus, or who are at high risk of adverse impacts if they contract the virus,” according to the city.

Around 3,000 hotel and RV units have been reserved for vulnerable people during the pandemic.

The program is prioritizing people who have been diagnosed with or are recovering from COVID-19 without a safe place to stay, homeless people, and frontline workers, according to the city.

San Francisco’s Department of Public Health sparked controversy in May for providing free alcohol, marijuana and tobacco to homeless people to help them with substance abuse addictions as they quarantine during the pandemic, McClatchy News previously reported.

The department said in a statement that guests staying in hotels under the city’s program are screened for substance addictions and asked if they’d like to stop or have support to reduce their use, according to SFGate.com.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in June that more than 14,000 homeless Californians statewide have been sheltered in hotels and motels since April, Bay Area News reported.

More than 4.7 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed and more than 156,000 people have died in the U.S. as of Aug. 5, according to Johns Hopkins University..

This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 9:27 AM with the headline "Meth lab found hidden at motel being used as coronavirus shelter, California cops say."