2 Arrested in Meth Lab Bust at Henderson Hotel

Henderson, N.C. — Henderson police arrested two people Wednesday morning after they discovered a methamphetamine lab inside a local hotel room.

A clerk at the Scottish Inns on North Garnett Street said two hotel guests called the front desk at about 2:30 a.m. complaining of a strong odor of what they thought was acetone coming from a neighboring room.

Night manager Debby Posten called police after she went to the room to investigate and smelled the same odor.

"Your eyes watered," Posten said. "You couldn't breathe. It was noxious."

Police raided the room and arrested Kimberly McCann, 41, and her boyfriend, Billy Ray Morris, 43, both of Henderson. A hotel manager said they checked in Tuesday.

Each face charges of manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of precursor chemicals for the manufacturing of methamphetamine and maintaining a dwelling to manufacture methamphetamine.

Both McCann and Morris were in the Vance County Jail Wednesday afternoon under $85,000 bond.

The State Bureau of Investigation was called to the scene and a hazmat crew disassembled the lab Wednesday morning, authorities said.

"It's such a congested area. These chemicals are really volatile. They can explode easily," Henderson police Lt. Charles Pulley said.

Police said it was rare to find someone cooking methamphetamine in a hotel room or any public place.