Police initially reported that a bomb was located at Teghtmeyer Ace Hardware in Columbia City Tuesday evening and they asked everyone to avoid the area. The initial call went out at about 2:45 p.m.

Today, the event is still under investigation, but more information has been obtained. Now, authorities say they were initially called to the hardware store at 200 Diplomat Driver in reference to a one-pot methamphetamine lab.

Two females were located in a vehicle outside the business where one of the women was arrested for meth possession. The second female ran from the scene. After police obtained a search warrant, that is when the real trouble began.

During a search of the females’ vehicle, officers located what they identified as materials commonly used in the making of methamphetamine, but they also found items used to make explosive devices.
The scare had authorities evacuate surrounding businesses to be evacuated for about two hours last night.

Cpt. Anthony Hively told Indiana’s News Center that he wasn’t sure what the suspects were planning to do with the “bomb materials,” but they believe they are part of a larger operation.