A former Ventura Hells Angels leader on Saturday accused the Ventura County Sheriff's Department of giving misleading information when it disclosed hazardous chemicals were found in a subfloor pit at the group's clubhouse.

George Christie, 61, described the hole as a sump used by the ambulance company that was housed there 30 years ago before the Ventura building became the Hell Angels' headquarters. Workers dumped oil in the sump when they maintained and repaired their vehicles, according to Christie.

Detectives are trying to make it seem as though the discovery is tied to some sort of criminal activity, he said.

"This is clearly not the case," he said, adding that police have executed dozens of search warrants at the clubhouse since it opened and the sump has always been there.

The sheriff's designated spokesman on this case, Capt. Guy Stewart, could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

On Friday, authorities said detectives executing a search warrant in a homicide investigation discovered the pit at the building at 65 Fix Way. That prompted inspections by the Ventura City Fire Department, Ventura City Code Enforcement and the Ventura County Environmental Health Division.

In a written statement to the press, sheriff's officials said they found potentially dangerous electrical wiring and the pit containing "a significant amount of petroleum distillates."

Southern California Edison officials shut off power to the structure, which was red-tagged to prevent further occupancy pending corrections and cleanup, authorities said.

Christie said he talked to environmental-health officials and expects the required repairs and cleanup to be completed and the clubhouse reopened by the end of this week.

According to Christie, city inspectors were at the clubhouse about two years ago when improvements were made there by a contractor who secured the proper permits. He said the walls of the clubhouse were opened up to make the place bigger and that an inspector approved the remodeling.

He said he is going to find out why an inspector signed off on it if the sump is dangerous. "At the very least, we are at risk," Christie said.

Asked to comment on the homicide investigation, Christie said he can only speculate that investigators were acting on allegations in a letter a woman sent to a Hells Angels member. Christie said he also received a letter from her.

Meanwhile, Christie faces two counts of felony drug possession and one misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance, authorities said.

He is expected to be charged with felony methamphetamine and cocaine possession and a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of those substances, according to prosecutors. The charges stem from small amounts of the drugs found in an April 25 sheriff's search of his Ventura home, according to authorities.

Christie said on Saturday he takes only prescription medication prescribed to him after a bad motorcycle accident, which resulted in a hip replacement and a brain injury. Declaring the charges are without merit, Christie said, "All medications are prescribed in proper doses, and I don't share them with anybody."