Man found dead in possible drug lab

TRUCKEE - A man found dead in a bathroom of a Tahoe Donner condominium Tuesday morning may be connected to a drug lab, according to Truckee police.

Police received a call of a possible dead body, said Lt. Jeff Nichols of the Truckee police department.

Three officers met the caller at the condo on Northwoods Boulevard. They were told that a man was on the floor of the bathroom with a gas mask next to his body.

"So this piqued our suspicions a little bit," Nichols said. "Our suspicions are that there may be some drug activity taking place in there. We don't know if it's a lab or not. We haven't really been able to determine that."

The man had not yet been identified. Seven people, including the three officers and an 11-year-old boy, were checked for exposure to poisonous gases at the scene.

They were then taken to Tahoe Forest Hospital, where they were treated and released in good condition, according to hospital spokeswoman Teri Smith.

The California Department of Justice Lab Team from Sacramento was on the scene around 1 p.m. conducting a search warrant and analyze the interior of the residence.

Nichols said the officers didn't see any drug-making equipment but they didn't conduct a search because of the possible presence of toxic substances. Two condo buildings were evacuated shortly after the discovery. The Truckee Fire Department Hazardous Materials team was monitoring the air outside of the building, but nothing had been detected at 11:30 a.m.

If a methamphetamine lab is discovered, it would be the first one found within the town limits since the Truckee Police Department took over policing from the Nevada County Sheriff's Department three years ago.