The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

10 charged with having meth in Letcher Co. Jail

13 meth indictments among 28 returned

Nine men and one woman were indicted last week on charges of having methamphetamines inside the Letcher County Jail, following two investigations by the jail.

The nine men are all charged with crimes that Jailer Bert Slone says occurred last April. The woman is charged in a separate incident that happened in December, Slone said.

Slone said the Letcher County Sheriff ’s Department brought in eight people after a drug bust, and the jail placed two of them into a cell. Some days later, one of the two became ill and had to be taken to the hospital. Slone said tests at the hospital showed he had methamphetamine in his blood.

“He had been in the jail long enough, he shouldn’t have had meth in him,” Slone said.

“We did some search warrants for the rest of the people in the cell, and they tested positive for methamphetamines, too,” Slone said.

All nine were indicted. Those charged are:

• Brian Kevin Johnson, 38, who is charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (methamphetamine), first-degree possession of a controlled substance), use/possession of drug paraphernalia, and first-degree promoting contraband.

• Christopher Martin Howard, 34, of 102 Wintergreen Drive, McRoberts, who is charged with first degree possession of a controlled substance (first offense, methamphetamine).

• Clifford Jermaine Caudill, 39, of 212 Fairview Lane, Neon, who is charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance (first offense, methamphetamine), use/ possession of drug paraphernalia, first-degree promoting contraband, and being a first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Dallas Richmond Banks, 40, of 2814 HYY 7 South, Isom, who is charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance session of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), use/possession of drug paraphernalia, and first-degree promoting contraband.

• Samuel Eugene Adkins, 43, of 4312, Highland Branch, Cromona, who is charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance (first offense, methamphetamine), use/ possession drug paraphernalia, first-degree promoting contraband, and being a first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Homer Rose IV, 21, of 310 Highland Branch, Cromona, who is charged with first-degree illegal possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), criminal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, first degree promoting contraband and being a second-degree persistent felony offender. The grand jury says Rose possessed methamphetamine while a prisoner in the Letcher County Jail.

• Mitchell Paul Ross, 43, of 11108 Ky. Hwy. 805, Jenkins, who is charged with first-degree illegal possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), criminal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, first degree promoting contraband and being a first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Jake D. Taulbee, 39, of 62 Urye Road, Whitesburg, who is charged with firstdegree illegal possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), criminal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, and first degree promoting contraband.

• Benett Lee Polly, 33, of 128 Smokey Row, Jenkins, who is charged with firstdegree illegal possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), criminal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, and first degree promoting contraband.

The search warrants were served in April 2019, Slone said, but it took until now to get the results of medical tests back showing methamphetamines in the blood of the inmates.

Letcher County Deputy Jailer Lena Hensley testified in all of those cases.

In the other contraband case, the grand jury charges Joanna Darlene Davis, 34, of 166 Scuttle Hole Gap Road, with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (methamphetamine), firstdegree possession of a controlled substance, use/possession of drug paraphernalia, first-degree promoting contraband, and being a second-degree persistent felony offender. Deputy Jailer Hensley also testified in that case.

Slone said deputies noticed an inmate in the cell with Davis began acting differently after she arrived. He said jail staff began watching security cameras and saw Davis pass drugs to another inmate.

Meanwhile, three other men have been indicted on charges of complicity to possess crystal methamphetamine and complicity to traffic in codeine in connection with charges filed against them after a traffic stop on January 12.

The three are Mark Joseph Morton, 34, address not listed; Stewart James Osborne, 51, of 7924 U.S. Hwy. 119 South, Eolia, and Caleb Ronald Sexton, 26, of 118 Mill Pond Road, U.S. Hwy. 119 South, Eolia. Each of the three is charged felony counts first-degree complicity to trafficking in codeine, first-degree complicity to possession of methamphetamine, and a misdemeanor count of complicity to use or possess drug paraphernalia. Morton and Sexton also face charges of being a persistent felony offender in the second-degree. Osborne has the added charge of being a persistent felon in the first-degree.

The three men were arrested after Letcher County Deputy Sheriff Gavin Fleming saw the driver of a vehicle, later determined to be Sexton, fail to use a turn signal when turning from Pert Creek Road onto U.S. 119 near Pine Mountain Junction at Whitesburg. Gavin said that while following the vehicle south toward Pine Mountain he also saw the vehicle cross the centerline at the mouth of Little Cowan.

Deputy Fleming, who testified before the grand jury, said in court documents that after he pulled the car over he ran background checks on the three men and found that one of the passengers was wanted for a previous crime and was considered “armed and dangerous.” Fleming said that after backup officers arrived at the scene, he “frisked” Sexton and felt “two long objects (that) felt like needles in waistband of his pants. Upon lifting his shirt I witnessed two capped, used needles with residue on them on the inside of the waistband. There were two used pipes with a black residue on them — which (are) commonly used for smoking methamphetamine — inside the driver side door in plain view.”

According to Fleming, a further search of the vehicle turned up 35 white pills in the glove box determined to be codeine and a small container holding two clear baggies containing substances believed to be methamphetamine.

Sexton also faces traffic charges of failure to give a signal and improper lane usage.

Others indicted are:

• Curtis Vincent Murphy, 41, of 13148 Hwy. 805, Jenkins, who is charged with two felony counts of third-degree assault, being a persistent felony in the first-degree, and with a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.

The grand jury charges that Murphy committed the crime of resisting arrest on December 2 by using or threatening to use physical force against Jenkins City Police Officer Hunter Holbrook and Letcher County Deputy Sheriff Corey Harris. He is also accused of assaulting Holbrook and Harris.

• Bobby Ronald Kilbourne Jr., 43, of 4 Forest View Road, Eolia, who is charged with impersonating a police officer and public intoxication (excluding alcohol). The grand jury charges that Kilbourne committed the crime of impersonating a police officer last November 11 when he was pretending to be a peace officer while calling Kentucky State Police to falsely state that he was a federal agent being shot at and in immediate need of assistance.

• Kendra Beth Napier, 43, of 2168 Ky. Hwy. 476, Lost Creek, who is charged with second-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief and use/possession of drug paraphernalia. Napier is accused of entering a dwelling owned by Jimmy Mullins located at Dee’s Home Place Road, Jeremiah, with intent to commit a crime, and damaging the entrance door and other personal property belonging to Jimmy Mullins.

Letcher County Deputy Sheriff Corey Harris testified in the case.

In a separate indictment, Napier is charged with firstdegree bail jumping for failure to appear for a scheduled preliminary hearing in Letcher Circuit Court.

Lisa Slone of the Office of the Letcher County Commonwealth Attorney testified in the case.

Seven people are charged with flagrant nonsupport of their minor children. They are:

• Keith Rogers, 40, of 119 Main St. Loop, Blackey, who is also charged with being a first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Travis Toler, 33, of 11048 Hwy. 805, Jenkins, who is also charged with being a first-degree persistent felony offender.

• Harold Back, 32, of 246 Prince Albert Dr., Lot 1, Mayking, who is also charged with being a firstdegree persistent felony offender.

• Jake Johnson, 34, of 1068 Rt. Fork Montgomery Creek, Vicco.

• Tonya Standifer, 31, of 157 Brick St., Jenkins.

• Maranda Jenell Frazier, 38, of 126 Sizemore Dr., Premium.

• Gary M. Combs, 56, of 154 Redbud Lane, Isom.

Tammi Collier of the Letcher County Division of Child Support Enforcement testified in the cases.

Five people are named in indictments charging them will bail jumping. They are:

• Dalton Sturgill, 23, of 2024 Blossom Rd., McRoberts, who is charged with first-degree bail jumping for failure to report for motion hour in a pending felony Letcher County Court case and being a second-degree persistent felony offender.

• Mary Roberts, 35, of 220 Smith Creek, Eolia, who is charged with first-degree bail jumping for failure to report for her sentencing at motion hour in a pending felony Letcher County Court case and being a second-degree persistent felony offender.

• Dallas Richmond Banks, 40, of 171 Chissom Road, Jeremiah, who is charged with first-degree bail jumping for failure to appear for a pre-trial conference in Letcher County Circuit Court.

• Tequila Hart, 25, of 49 Sergent Road, Whitesburg, who is charged with firstdegree bail jumping for failure to appear for motion hour in Letcher County Circuit Court.

• Christopher Bentley, 29, of 764 Mallard Dr., Millstone, who is charged with first-degree bail jumping for failure to appear for a pre-trial conference in Letcher County Circuit Court.

Lisa Slone of the Office of the Letcher County Commonwealth Attorney testified in the cases.

Leave a Reply