Police: 2 Arrested Following Meth Lab Explosion

Two men were arrested on Thursday morning after their suspected meth lab exploded in the 900 block of Magnolia Avenue. 

Cuyahoga Falls fire fighters arrived on scene at 8:06 a.m. and immediately grew suspicious when they saw Todd M. James and Leo C. Stalter II trying to extinguish the subsequent fire that had broken out in an attached garage. 

The Cuyahoga Falls Police Narcotics Unit along with the Summit County Drug Unit responded and determined the home was being used to produce methamphetamine, according to Falls Police Sgt. James Singleton. 

James, 54, who lived at the residence, and Stalter, 27, of Tallmadge, were charged with aggravated arson, a first-degree felony; illegal manufacturing of drugs, a second-degree felony; illegal assembly of chemicals, a third-degree felony; drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree felony and possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony. 

James's 86-year-old relative was sleeping in the suspected meth house at the time of the explosion, but police report she was unaware of the criminal activity. 

A hazardous waste disposal team was sent to the scene to clean up the meth-related chemicals. 

James and Stalter are in custody at Summit County Jail.