Overdose Leads to Manslaughter and Drug Charges for 16 People

Below is the information released at the press conference held on May 5, 2023 at the McCracken County Courthouse, concerning a Fentanyl investigation spanning several counties that began with an overdose death.

The agencies involved in this investigation are the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office, the McCracken County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the Paducah Police Department, the DEA, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, the Graves County Sheriff’s Office, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, and the Obion County Sheriff’s Office (TN). This investigation has led to 16 different individuals being charged with engaging in organized crime and other offenses here in McCracken County.

The investigation began in February of 2023 when the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office responded to an overdose death of a 23-year-old man in Ledbetter, KY. The investigation revealed that the man had lethal amounts of Fentanyl in his system at the time of his death. Digital evidence located during the investigation revealed that two women had provided the man with Fentanyl pills here in McCracken County, KY prior to his death.

Over the course of the next three months our drug detectives, with the assistance of the other named agencies, were able to identify the source of the Fentanyl pills that led to the overdose death in Livingston County. Detectives were also able to identify several other sources of supply for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine here in Western Kentucky. The investigation revealed that for the last six months, illegal drugs were imported into our area from Denver, Colorado. This poison was brought to our area under the direction of 32-year-old Kendrick Owens of Mayfield, KY. The drugs were then sold here in Western, KY by Owens and the others.

On April 21, 2023, a McCracken County Grand Jury heard testimony from a McCracken County Sheriff’s Detective. Pursuant to that testimony, the Grand Jury indicted nine people for Engaging in Organized Crime related to drug trafficking. Two of those nine people were also charged with manslaughter in connection to the February overdose death of the Livingston County man. Those individuals are: Amberly Alexander, Frankus Cherry, David Roberson, Chelsy Timpe, Bradley Clabough, Tesla Fisher, Tyler Dennison, Kendrick Owens, and Jakyron Burnside.

Since the indictments, our detectives have continued to work diligently and either arrested or obtained arrest warrants for seven additional people linked to this investigation for engaging in organized crime or trafficking in Fentanyl. Those individuals are: Hallie Hooker, James Farmer, Nathaniel Cashan, Alexis Snipes, Zane Day, Darcy Thompson, and Racheal Land. We do expect additional arrests linked to this investigation soon.

These investigations consisted of making undercover drug purchases, countless hours of surveillance, search warrants, interviews, intercepting drug parcels, and collecting and analyzing both physical and digital evidence. During these investigations law enforcement seized thousands of Fentanyl pills, pounds of Crystal Methamphetamine, Cocaine, firearms, and money that is believed to be proceeds of illegal drug sales.

Most of the pills seized are pressed counterfeit pills disguised as Oxycodone but contain Fentanyl instead. These pills are often produced in sophisticated clandestine laboratories controlled by drug trafficking organizations. Most of these pills are blue in color and have markings “M” “30”. The street value of one of these tiny pills is $20.

The DEA Laboratory has found that of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills analyzed in 2022, six out of ten now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. This is an increase from the previous announcement in 2021 that four out of ten fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills were found to contain a potentially lethal dose. What that means is that approximately 60% of the Fentanyl pills being sold on our streets contain enough Fentanyl to kill someone. To use these illegal pills, it is playing Russian roulette.

We will not tolerate drug dealing in McCracken County. And let me be as clear as I possibly can. Fentanyl is just as deadly as a bullet. Your Sheriff’s Office will go after fentanyl traffickers as vigorously and with as much determination as we would go after someone who shoots an innocent person. Fentanyl will only lead to death. The people who are pushing fentanyl in our community, to our friends, to our kids, to our loved ones, know that they are selling death.

To those who are suffering from substance abuse, please know that we are available to help you seek treatment. Call our office or speak to a deputy when you see one. Through our Badges of Hope program, we will find a place for treatment and provide transportation. Or you can call Turning Point, Brightview, Kentucky Addiction Center, or one of the many other facilities in our area. Just please seek treatment before it’s too late. I also urge parents, grandparents, and everyone to have Narcan accessible. You can receive Narcan at the Purchase Health District, The McCracken County library, the courthouse, and local pharmacies.