Police and FCNEU officers raided the duplex unit in the 1000 block of Bieker Road shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday after police received a 911 call from a woman who was "hysterical" and claimed she had been held in the home against her will, a FCNEU spokesman said.

The woman told investigators that several people had been cooking meth and using meth all day and wouldn't let her leave, the spokesman said. At one point she was able to run out the front door and called 911.

There was no one in the unit when officers entered, but there was a cloud of chemical vapor. The spokesman said the suspects had dumped chemicals down the sewer drain in the basement before leaving.

Washington firefighters were called to the scene to ventilate the apartment.

The incident began several hours earlier, according to reports, when police were asked to check out a suspicious vehicle that was parked on the Faith Lutheran Church parking lot on Bieker Road.

An officer checked the license plate and found that the vehicle was registered to a couple from Nixa in southwest Missouri. When the officer looked into the vehicle he saw meth-making components in plain view. Police then had the vehicle towed from the lot and impounded.

Washington Police Chief Ken Hahn said it's rare to have a meth lab operation inside the city limits because of the strong chemical odors produced in the process can alert neighbors.

He said the lab was discovered because of an alert police officer.

"He could have just checked the registration on the vehicle, but the officer went the extra mile and checked inside and saw the meth precursors. He then contacted the task force," Hahn said.

"It was good work," he remarked.