April 20, 2019

STATE POLICE IN ELLIOT CO. DISCOVER LIVE PIPE BOMB DURING DRUG SEARCH 

WEBBVILLE MAN USING USING SINGLE ROOM BUILDING AS 2ND ALTERNATE RESIDENCE LOCATED ON PROPERTY OF RELATIVES, WAS BUSTED AFTER FAMILY MEMBERS CALLED 911 AS HE ATTEMPTED TO BREAK INTO HOME;

Admitted to troopers he was intoxicated and had not slept for several days after buying what he thought was heroin turned out to be meth

APRIL 19, 2017 – written by WADE QUEEN

The Kentucky State Police arrested a Lawerence County man Saturday after discovering a pipe bomb inside his house in Elliot County.

While conducting drug investigations any agency of police officers usually have an idea of what they can expect. However, troopers with the Kentucky State Police Post 8 in Morehead in Rowan County found the unexpected while investigating a call involving a Lawrence County man in an area of Elliot County.

According to the KSP report, on just after 5 P.M. Saturday April 14, trooper Justin Reynolds responded to a 911 call from a family saying their family member was attempting to break into their house in the Brushy Creek Road area in Sandy Hook in Elliot County.

When trooper Reynolds arrived on the scene, he found the perpetrator suspect, who was identified as 29-year old Travis L Matthews, from Webbville in Lawrence County, standing outside of a single room shack.

When trooper Reynolds approached Travis Matthews, he noticed Matthews appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Trooper Reynolds further said in the report Matthews couldn’t stop talking, couldn’t stop twitching, had pinpoint pupils and a dry mouth.

Travis Matthews admitted to trooper Reynolds that he had used heroin, but that later he thought it was actually meth. Matthews told the trooper he had not slept in several days. Matthews also told officers that while he officially lives in Webbville in Lawrence County, he would sometimes stay at the one room shack on relatives’ property in the Sandy Hook area of Elliot County.

After Matthews agreed and gave consent permission to trooper Reynolds to have his shack searched, trooper Reynolds found what he believed was a pipe bomb.

Trooper Reynolds contacted his Post 8 command in Morehead and the KSP Bomb Squad was called in and they confirmed that it was in fact a pipe bomb. They also found an additional blasting cap inside the shack. The KSP Bomb Squad was able to dispose of the pipe bomb and also the separate blasting cap near the scene.

After the explosives were disposed, in an additional search of the shack, the troopers discovered several syringes, small bags and filters, with other filters in small baggies. The were all tested and came back positive for methamphetamine.

Travis Matthews was arrested on the scene and was charged with:

• POSSESSION OF DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE OR BOOBY TRAP DEVICE,

• WANTON ENDANGERMENT-1ST DEGREE-POLICE OFFICER,

• POSSESSION CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE 1ST DEGREE, 1ST OFFENSE (METHAMPHETAMINE),

• DRUG PARAPHERNALIA – BUY/POSSESS,

• PUBLIC INTOXICATION-CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE (EXCLUDES ALCOHOL).

Matthews was lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville, where he remains incarcerated as of Thursday evening, April 19.