FBI: 19-year-old arrested, charged in Houston mercury spill

HOUSTON (AP) — A 19-year-old man has been arrested after trace amounts of mercury spilled at three locations in Houston, leading dozens of people to be decontaminated as a precaution, FBI said Monday.

The agency's Houston office said on Twitter that Christopher Lee Melder has been charged with burglary and unlawful disposal of hazardous material. The FBI announced early Monday that he was taken into custody for questioning in connection with the spill. He is also charged on an outstanding felony drug possession warrant.

It wasn't immediately known whether he had a lawyer and authorities didn't immediately say why the mercury was spilled.