The officer used a thermal imaging device to find the suspect hiding in a pile of leaves. The man again fled, this time jumping into a river, police said.
Hastings officers, along with Barry County sheriff's deputies and state police troopers, found the man's wet footprints and followed them to a fence near the Park View Motel.
The man was seen climbing the fence and was identified as the same man who fled earlier. His backpack was found near the river bank and officers said they discovered methamphetamine waste inside.
Police said the man had been making meth in his room at the motel.
The man was arrested on a probation violation and police said charges of possessing meth lab components and marijuana are likely.
