INEZ, Ky. — Martin County Sheriff Gorman Preece and several of his deputies made five arrests on a variety of drug-related charges, including child endangerment for a couple making meth in a home with children.

Deputy Chris Todd accompanied the sheriff to 62 Little Laurel Creek, five miles north of Inez, on Tuesday to check out a complaint. When they went to the door of a home at that address, a woman identified as Jennifer Anne Adams, 27, and her 14-month-old child came to the door.

The MCSO’s report said Adams allowed two DSS workers and Todd to enter the house. Upstairs of the home, they spotted a hot plate and some containers with clear liquid on the bottom and white substance on top. When advised what had been seen, Todd asked to search the house and the woman agreed, signing a consent-to-search form.

The search yielded what the sheriff’s officers described as a meth lab and with it lye, paint thinner, iodine, Muratic acid, coffee filters, hot plate and other items used in manufacturing meth.

Downstairs, the officers found two light bulbs in a back bedroom with the end of each removed, and reported they most likely contained meth. Kentucky State Police officers dismantled the meth lab.

Jennifer Anne Adams, the mother of the child, and James E. Goble, 27, of the same address, were each charged with manufacturing methamphetamine (first offense); unlawful possession of a meth precursor (first offense); controlled substance endangerment to child, fourth degree, and violation of the drug paraphernalia law, (buy, possess - first offense). The two suspects were arrested pending appearance in Martin District Court.

During the time of a meth lab investigation on Tuesday, a 26-year-old man identified as Brian Charles of Beauty, Ky., drove on to a driveway at the scene and was charged with operating a motor vehicle while license was revoked. Deputy Todd asked the man for his driver’s license and was told it was suspended. Charles is scheduled for an appearance in Martin District Court at 9 a.m. on Aug. 24 to answer to the charge.

On Tuesday, Aug. 11, Sheriff Preece and Deputy Evan Norris went to the home of Jimmy D. Cornette Sr., 44, at 6031 Rockhouse Road, Tomahawk, Ky., to investigate a man’s complaint that his camper had been stolen from his residence.

When informed by the officers that they believed the camper behind his house was stolen property, Cornette told them to check it out. The officers had with them the camper’s property owner and his title and said the real owner had advised them of specific modifications he had made to the camper. These changes eventually helped confirm the fact the camper was stolen. Norris reported that the VIN/serial numbers had been removed from the camper.

When officers arrived to inspect the camper, they found James M. Perry, 36, of Tomahawk, sitting in a wheelchair outside the camper. After determining the camper had been stolen, the officers found inside the camper a plastic bottle containing several layers of liquid and a white substance in the bottom. Norris said it appeared to be in a specific stage of meth manufacture. KSP decon units dismantled what they referred to as “an active cook.” A loaded firearm was beside the “cook” in reach of Perry.

Both Cornette and Perry were charged with manufacturing methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a meth precursor (first offenses), and receiving stolen property valuned at under $10,000.

Cornette was additionally charged on three other counts: posession and use of a radio that sends and receives police messages; possession of a controlled substance, second degree (first offense - crug unspecified), and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Deputy Norris’ report also stated that, after finding the separation mixture, the officers obtained a search warrant for Cornette’s home and vehicles on the property. The KSP had been there to a complaint earlier this week regarding meth being manufactured on the property in the presence of a minor child.

Cornette advised the officers they could not search the residence at that time without a search warrant and that there was no child there. Armed with a search warrant, the officers’ eventual search turned up another firearm (a loaded shotgun) beside the back door of the home.

That also resulted in finding of the radio scanner that picked up sheriff’s radio transmissions. A hydroco-done tablet was found in Cornette’s back pocket, the report said.