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Police: Meth lab discovered outside Edgewater apartment

EDGEWATER. Fla. — An investigator wrapped in a protective suit with gloves and a gas mask reached into the bushes and pulled out what Edgewater police said was a small meth lab that included two soda bottles filled with chemicals and a bottle of acid.

Families watched as he placed each bottle on the sidewalk.

"There's a bunch of kids living here, and it's just really wrong. It's ridiculous, really," said resident Michael Sturtevant.

Police showed up at the Terrace Gardens South Apartments Monday when a resident called them about the suspicious containers.

Officers determined they were dangerous, and they were sitting out in the open and practically on the front doorstep of an apartment.

Police evacuated the family living in the apartment, including a baby.

"There's babies on up to 13, 14-year-old, and it's a shame, it really is," said Sturtevant.

Police said paramedics evaluated the baby and determined the child was not exposed to the meth chemicals. No one else in the apartment complex was exposed, but parents want to know who may have dropped the bottles outside the apartment.

"They know that kids live here, and to put something like that in the bushes is just downright ignorant," said resident Brenda Dougan.

According to police, last year, there were about 100 meth labs in Volusia County.