MILWAUKEE — A hazmat situation near Maitland Park has been deemed not a threat to the public.
Officials say it began with a domestic violence investigation.
According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to Maitland Park for a domestic violence incident around 8 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Upon arrival, deputies located the victim, a 52-year-old man, who told them his domestic partner had choked and attempted to strangle him at a campsite nearby inside Maitland Park. Deputies then entered the park to search for the suspect.
That’s when officials say they found several barrels filled with acid, which they believed might be battery acid. The victim told deputies his partner used the chemicals to melt or strip precious metals from personal computer parts for resale.
Watch: Milwaukee Fire Department handling a hazmat situation near Maitland Park
A Milwaukee Fire Department hazmat team responded, determined the acids were legally available household chemicals, neutralized them, and placed them in buckets for Milwaukee County Parks employees to dispose of.
At no time was the public endangered by the “loosely” kept chemicals, according to MCSO.
The search for the domestic violence suspect, a 39-year-old man, is ongoing.
MCSO says the suspect is on parole for armed robbery and is wanted on an active Wisconsin Department of Corrections warrant for a parole violation.
One of the responding deputies plans to refer charges of battery-domestic violence to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
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