Three people were reportedly removed from an Orangewood Court home tagged unsafe by city officials on Sunday night.
Pleasanton Police got a call about suspicious circumstances at the home on Sunday, Sgt. Julie Fragomeli said.
"Neighbors called because they saw people coming and going from the home that was supposed to be unoccupied and were not sure if it was the homeowner or not," said Fragomeli. "Officers went to investigate and contacted a female who was later arrested for drug related charges. Officers also smelled a strong odor of chemicals from the driveway."
Fragomeli said officers went into the back yard and saw a large number of chemicals on the property.
"It initially appeared to be a methamphetamine lab, so we backed out, secured the property and asked the fire department to help," she said. "The fire department called in a Hazmat team based on the suspicion that the chemicals were part of a 'stale meth lab' as some of the chemicals were 'precursors' to the manufacturing of methamphetamine. There was no heat source to the lab so we held the position and contacted the Alameda County District Attorney's Office who contacted the Drug Enforcement Agency. The DEA sent out a chemist to the location after we obtained a search warrant for the premises. The chemist determined there were years of chemical accumulation on the property but not enough to deem it an 'active' lab."
Fragomeli says two people were taken from the property but were later released.
The single-family house, off Foothill Road near Lydiksen Elementary School, was red tagged as "unsafe" by authorities, according to postings left on the home's front door.
One neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, said area residents have worried for years about the cluttered property.
"Neighbors have complained for years about the eyesore," the individual said. "Neighbors are concerned about safety. It has been getting progressively worse for years. Chemicals, car parts. It is like a junk yard."
Patch will update the story as we get more information.
