William Hutchins

Cody police say they discovered an active meth lab on Sunday morning in Cody, resulting in the arrest of one man and an ongoing investigation.

Police logs show that, shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday, a person on Bleistein Avenue called and reported that a man had “cooked meth in their apartment” and then left.

Officers responded to the address in the 1500 block of the avenue and found William Hutchins. The 39-year-old reportedly “was exhibiting symptoms of methamphetamine use and admitted to using the drug,” police said in a news release.

Police arrested Hutchins, then an officer with a self-contained breathing apparatus entered the home to check for other occupants. After finding no one else inside, police obtained a search warrant and “due to the inherent danger associated with methamphetamine labs, and the complicated nature of methamphetamine lab investigations” called in some help.

The department ultimately wound up working with personnel from the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Wyoming Regional Response Hazmat Team 6, the Cody Fire Department and Cody Regional Health.

Cody police said their search revealed evidence of meth manufacturing and they turned the investigation over to DCI. Meanwhile, police said the residence “was rendered safe” by the hazmat team.

Hutchins remained in custody in the Park County Detention Center on Monday, awaiting an initial court appearance set for Tuesday morning.