DOWS, IOWA-Police are investigating a possible meth lab on the 200th block of Forrest Street in Dows.
Five people are being charged with Interference with offical acts with other charges pending. The Sheriff's department tells us the five people involved with the incident are Christopher Bell of Dows, Crystal Card of Dows, Danny Prouty of Alden, Curtis Schriber of Coulter and Renae Pencook of Iowa Falls.
Linda Flores said this is not a scene she's ever witnessed before in her neighborhood.
"I happened to see three police officers come fly in and turn the corner and coming in silent usually when it's a drug bust," she said.
It's a response to a call from a neighbor complaining of a strong chemical smell.
When officers arrive they notice the oder and call for back-up citing a possible meth lab situation.
Larry Richtsmeier said, "the fire department was here because of chemicals and fire hazard and the police squad and emergency squads are here for health issues."
The spectacle grows more serious as the sheriff's department gets closer to the property.
Richtsmeier said, "we know that there were people left in the house cause we had one person that came out of a window and got caught, he indicated there were two other people in the house they wouldn't come out."
It's after numerous failed attempts at contacting those folks in the house that led to what police call a barricaded situation.
They eventually got through and detained four more people inside.
Linda Flores said, "they took em down here to the corner where the fire hydrants is and they had em strip down and hose them off from the fire hydrant."
The Sheriff's Department says it's protocol, so any chemical substance that may be on the people found in the house is not transferred to another place.
As for the house and the potential "meth lab", it's still under investigation.
Sheriff Richtsmeier said, "they're looking for any type of evidence but there also taking air samples and any chemical and liquids they find they take samples of those and they're sent down to lab to determine what they are."
But for Flores, suspicion was there about drugs in that house but she says it's still a surprise.
She said, "there was a family living in there before and then this young kid moved in there and we figured it was okay."
