ROCKINGHAM — Court documents shed more light into a police investigation that led to a man and woman being arrested on meth and child abuse charges.

According to a probable cause affidavit for a search warrant, investigators say they were contacted by a patrol officer who had received a complaint that tenants of apartments on Cauthen Drive may have been cooking meth.

One witness told investigators that Brandon Kiker, 30, had been seen shaking a plastic bottle with what appeared to be meth inside, documents show. Another said Kiker had been seen with a bag of meth and had bragged about using three boxes to make 9 grams of the caustic cocktail.

Between speaking to the two witnesses, investigators searched Kiker and 31-year-old Myra Horne, of Lilesville, in the National Precursor Log Exchange Database, which contains purchase amounts and purchase blocks of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in methamphetamine, according to the affidavit.

The search on Kiker revealed 20 purchases and 48 grams of pseudoephedrine, and the search on Horne showed 24 purchases and 58 grams, investigators say.

Both Kiker and Horne were in the apartment when officers executed a search warrant June 20 — Horne downstairs, Kiker upstairs, the affidavit states. The officer apprehending Kiker noticed “what appeared to be several bottles with white residue and liquid in them,” and described a chemical smell. Investigators also found a “black bag with piping inside it,” and “at least two bottles on the floor that did in fact have a white residue in the bottom and a clear liquid in the remaining bottles.”

Officers read both Kiker and Horne their Miranda rights, according to documents.

Kiker allegedly told investigators that he had last smoked methamphetamine two days before the arrest and had actively manufactured the drug two to three days prior.

According to an inventory included in the returned search warrant, investigators seized:

• numerous containers of salt;

• numerous cut plastic straws;

• two metal pipe cutters;

• numerous empty, clear plastic bags;

• one set of Digitz digital scales;

• numerous glass smoking devices;

• a clear plastic bag containing a small amount of green vegetable material;

• three 18-ounce cans of sodium hydroxide;

• several cut-open cold packs;

• a glass measuring cup;

• several empty containers of Ronsonol lighter fluid;

• two water pouches;

• cut-open lithium battery casings;

• inner strippings from batteries;

• numerous plastic bottles with white sludge material;

• burned strips of aluminum foil;

• an empty 20-count box of pseudoephedrine;

• numerous coffee filters;

• a plastic glove;

• numerous pieces of plastic tubing;

• plastic funnels;

• an aquarium pump;

• a pair of pliers;

• two plastic bottles with light blue sludge material;

• two quarts of sulfuric acid;

• an open package of coffee filters; and

• a glass jar containing clear liquid.

Although it wasn’t listed in search warrant information, police told the Daily Journal last week that a child was also present at the apartment.

Kiker is charged with one felony count each of manufacturing methamphetamine, possession or distribution of a meth precursor, and maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance, in addition to one misdemeanor count each of possession of drug paraphernalia and child abuse.

Horne is charged with two counts each of possession or distribution of a meth precursor and misdemeanor child abuse, as well as one count each of manufacturing methamphetamine, maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

They were each booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $75,000 secured bond and are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Online records with the N.C. Court System and the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction show neither has any other pending charges or past criminal convictions in North Carolina.

This is the first meth lab bust in the city limits in 2016, according to the narcotics division.

So far this year, the SBI reports that Richmond County has had nine total meth labs — ranking the fourth-highest, following Johnston at No. 1 with 20, Wake County coming in second with 13 and Anson and Onslow counties tied for third with 11 each.

Last year, Richmond County had the third-highest number of meth busts in all 100 counties.

At least 20 people were convicted on federal meth charges stemming from Richmond County arrests last year.

All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Reach William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_toler.

Kiker
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_BRANDON-LYNN-KIKER.jpgKiker

Horne
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_MYRA-ANN-HORNE.jpgHorne
Horne

By William R. Toler

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