INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A backpack found near the entrance to Indian River Charter High School on College Lane in Vero Beach contained some ingredients and equipment used to produce methamphetamine, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.
The Sheriff’s Office, along with Indian River Fire Rescue and EMS, were called out to the scene around 9 a.m. Monday because of a suspicious backpack. Witnesses told authorities there was a bubbling inside the bag.
Authorities called out the DEA, which responded and was able to stabilize the items inside. The agency determined that the contents inside the backpack were inert.
Emergency crews remained on the scene until an approved hazardous materials response team could remove the backpack. Traffic was temporarily diverted around the scene to allow for emergency response teams.
School officials, with assistance from the Sheriff’s Office, worked to keep students clear of the area until the backpack was no longer a threat.
The Sheriff’s Office’s Multi Agency Criminal Enforcement Unit is now investigating to identify the person responsible for the backpack and the materials found within it.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the backpack had been sitting next to a tree at the school’s entrance since at least Sunday, when a neighbor walking a dog spotted it.
A passerby on Monday reported the backpack to a deputy, who then investigated the bag, opening it in an attempt to find identification. The deputy recognized the materials inside as a “probable ‘one-pot’ portable meth lab,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
