HOUSTON – The man accused of spilling mercury in four separate locations in west Houston and Spring in December 2019 pleaded guilty to two charges and will face three years in prison. Christopher Melder, 19, was arrested and charged after he broke into an abandoned Houston lab and stole mercury late last year. He faced a burglary of a building charge and a felony hazardous waste charge and he pleaded guilty to both Friday. On Dec. 13, 2019, Melder broke into the GeoChem labs and stole mercury that he saw was labeled as such. Evidence showed he tried to sell it and spilled it in four locations, including gas stations in west Houston and at a hospital in Spring.

HOUSTON – Investigators on Friday searched the abandoned Houston lab from where a teen is accused of stealing mercury and then spilling it in several locations. Video from SKY 2 showed people in protective gear walking near the Geochem Laboratories building in west Houston. A couple of blue barrels were also seen sitting in front of a large truck. Investigators have said that Melder inadvertently spilled the chemical in several places in the process of trying to sell it, which resulted in a massive decontamination effort that included dozens of people and several businesses. Houston police would only confirm that Friday’s investigation is connected to the spills.

HOUSTON – The man accused of spilling mercury in four separate locations in west Houston and Spring appeared in court Wednesday morning. In court Wednesday, a judge raised Melder’s bond to $150,000 for three charges, including burglary and unlawful disposal of hazardous material. In an exclusive interview with KPRC 2, Melder said he found the mercury at an abandoned lab, and he only knew what it was because it was labeled. “I sold it, but only made 40 bucks off of it.”According to Melder, he admitted to accidentally spilling the mercury on the same day he sold it. For more on the spills and what people can do if they may have been exposed to mercury, go to our previous KPRC 2 report.

Christopher Melder, the man accused of spilling mercury in four separate locations in west Houston and Spring, spoke to KPRC 2 exclusively from the Harris County Jail. Melder said he found the mercury at an abandoned lab. Melder claims he then took the mercury home, looked it up on YouTube and even played with it in his own hands. “I didn’t go far in school and didn’t know it was bad,” he said, adding that he wasn’t trying to harm anybody. For more on the spills and what people can do if they may have been exposed to mercury, go to our previous KPRC 2 report.