The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Chief: Lab closed after investigation
Few details released on police response to biochemical site
OLD SAYBROOK — The local biochemical supply company that has been the focus of a multi-agency criminal investigation for more than a day has been deemed “uninhabitable” by the Connecticut River Area Health District, officials said Thursday.
Few details have been released about the criminal investigation taking place at LabDIRECT LLC, which is located at 6 Center Road West, including confirmation of which federal, state and local agencies were involved.
Old Saybrook Police Chief Michael Spera said all agencies had left the site of the company as of Thursday evening, but the investigation is continuing.
“The building has been turned back to the owner,” Spera said.
But the facility, which sells laboratory chemicals, will not be open for business Friday since the local health district declared the building “uninhabitable,” Spera said.
The chief and several other law enforcement agencies have not said why the company is the focus of an intense investigation that closed Center Road West for more than 24 hours, leaving other companies on the street with no way to conduct business.
Spera said authorities first responded to the scene around 2 p.m. Wednesday and cleared the area by 5 p.m. Thursday.
There was also no explanation as to why the investigation prompted two “planned” detonations at the site Thursday morning or why the operation was deemed unsafe to continue business. Spera said no one was injured at the company and there was no threat to the public, including to a nearby shopping center adjacent to Center Road West within 1,000 feet of LabDIRECT LLC.
“There's a lot of who, what, where and whys that you're not going to get at this time,” Spera said. “It's an ongoing, active criminal investigation.”
According to Connecticut State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives called the state police bomb squad to the scene.
ATF spokesperson Matthew O'Shaunessy confirmed the agency assisted at the scene Wednesday, but said the investigation has been turned over to state authorities. State police referred questions to the ATF. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was also at the scene Thursday, but deferred all comment to Spera, an agency spokesperson said.
Spera said his department is leading the investigation, but he declined to say what they are investigating or whether charges would be forthcoming.
Close to 24 hours after police first arrived, workers at Label One across the street said they still didn't know what happened at LabDIRECT.
Label One employee Mark Everin said they were told to leave work at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Many Label One workers returned around noon Thursday, but were told the building would not be opening.
"It's sort of frightening" Everin said of the situation unfolding across the street from his job. "But I think they have it under control.”
According to its website, LabDIRECT was founded to “streamline affordability and access to critical reagents that the independent chemistry community needs to grow and be successful.”
The LabDIRECT website offers customers the opportunity to buy a host of chemicals, along with equipment used in chemistry. It also offers services to create custom chemical compounds.
“Our state-of-the-art lab and team of incredibly talented chemists can synthesize organic and inorganic molecules to your exact specifications, in whatever quantity you need, and on whatever timeline you require,” the LabDirect website reads.