SHERIFF KIRK AND HIS DEPUTIES WERE SERVING SEARCH WARRANT AT A HOME IN LOVELY AREA, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A BAD SITUATION WITH THE POTENTIAL OF BEING BOTH OUTMANNED, AND OUTGUNNED
DECEMBER 4, 2020 – written by WADE QUEEN
One of the largest singular drug raids in the past dozen years in Martin County happened late Thursday night.
According to a news release from the Martin County Sheriff Department, nine people were arrested and are facing charges following a large drug bust in Martin County.
It happened Thursday night in the Lovely area community along the Tug Fork River.
The news release said Martin County Sheriff John H. Kirk and his deputies were serving a search warrant at a home on Long Branch Road, when they found all of the suspects inside the residence, along with more than $10,000 in cash, more than 40 guns, including two that were stolen, 244 grams of a substance police believe to be marijuana, 191 Xanax bars and a loaded needle with what appeared to be meth inside it.
Those who were arrested in this drug bust include the following individuals, the arresting officers, and their charges:
Tommie Spears, 58, of Lovely Kentucky; was arrested December 3, 2020, by deputy William Tyler Lafferty, and was booked at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, on December 4,2020, at 6:55 A.M.,and was charged with:
*TRAFFICKING IN CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE 1ST OFFENSE,
*TRAFFICKING IN MARIJUANA(8 OZ TO < 5 LBS.) 1ST OFFENSE, DRUG PARAPHERNALIA – BUY/POSSESS,
*THEFT BY UNLAWFUL TAKING – FIREARM,
*DEFACING A FIREARM.
Cody G. Spears, 25, of Lovely, Kentucky; was arrested December 3, 2020, by deputy David Adams, and was booked at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, on December 4, 2020, at 5:53 A.M.,& was charged with
*TRAFFICKING IN CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE 1ST OFFENSE,
*TRAFFICKING IN MARIJUANA(8 OZ TO < 5 LBS.) 1ST OFFENSE, DRUG PARAPHERNALIA – BUY/POSSESS.
Nathaniel Maynard, 27, of Lovely,Kentucky; was arrested December 3, 2020, by deputy William Tyler Lafferty, & was booked at the Big Sandy Regional, on December 4, 2020, at 7:15 A.M., and was charged with:
* POSSESSION CONTROLLED SUB 1ST DEGREE, 1ST OFFENSIVE (METHAMPHETAMINE),
*THEFT BY UNLAWFUL TAKING ALL OTHERS UNDER/$500, * DISORDERLY CONDUCT , 2ND DEGREE.
Jackson Taylor Fitch, 28, of Lovely, Kentucky; was arrested December 3, 2020 ,by deputy William Tyler Lafferty, & was booked at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center on December 4, 2020, at 6:13 A.M., & was charged with:
*PUBLIC INTOXICATION-CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE (EXCLUDES ALCOHOL).
James Michael Bailey, 46, of Louisville, Kentucky; was arrested December 3, 2020, by deputy William Tyler Lafferty, and was booked at the Big Sandy Regional, on December 4, 2020, at 7:45 A.M., and was charged with:
*POSSESSION CONTROLLED SUB 1ST DEGREE, 1ST OFFENSIVE (METHAMPHETAMINE) – [2 SEPARATE CHARGE COUNTS],
*TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE.
Gary Hayes, 52, of Kermit, West Virginia; was arrested December 3, 2020, by deputy William Tyler Lafferty, and was booked at the Big Sandy Regional Detention center on December 4, 2020, at 6:03 A.M., & was charged with:
* POSSESSION CONTROLLED SUB 1ST DEGREE, 1ST OFFENSIVE (METHAMPHETAMINE),
* POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA,
* DRUG PARAPHERNALIA – BUY/POSSESS.
Aaron Jude, 25, of Lovely, Kentucky; was arrested December 3, 2020, by deputy William Tyler Lafferty, and was booked at the Big Sandy Regional, on December 4, 2020, at 6:13 A.M., and was charged with:
* POSSESSION CONTROLLED SUB 1ST DEGREE, 1ST OFFENSIVE (METHAMPHETAMINE),
* DRUG PARAPHERNALIA – BUY/POSSESS,
Laura D. Giacomoni, 37, of Lovely,Kentucky; was arrested December 3, 2020, by deputy William Tyler Lafferty, & was booked at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, on December 4, 2020, at 7:25 A.M., and was charged with:
*TRAFFICKING IN CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE 1ST OFFENSE,
*TRAFFICKING IN MARIJUANA(8 OZ TO < 5 LBS.) 1ST OFFENSE-(2 SEPARATE CHARGE COUNTS), DRUG PARAPHERNALIA – BUY/POSSESS.
Ruby Chaffins, 45, of Lovely, Kentucky; was arrested December 3, 2020, by deputy William Tyler Lafferty, and was booked at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, on December 4, 2020, at 7:35 A.M., and was charged with:
*TRAFFICKING IN CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE 1ST OFFENSE,
*TRAFFICKING IN MARIJUANA(8 OZ TO < 5 LBS.) – 1ST OFFENSE, DRUG PARAPHERNALIA – BUY/POSSESS.
Due to the size of the of the drug search warrant on Thursday night, it took the Martin County Sheriff Department several hours to process the evidence and the reports; which all the suspects had to wait to be transported to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, and when they were finally taken, it was nearly sunrise Friday morning, and even then, it also took another two hours to process the paperwork on the all the nine prisoners, before they officially lodged in the BSRDC.
Eight of the nine drug bust suspects remain in custody at the BSRDC as of 12:00 P.M. Friday, December 4. The lone exception, Gary Hayes, has already posted his bond and has been released from custody of the jail.
This major drug case remains under investigation by the Martin County Sheriff Department.
