An 18-month-old child was taken to the emergency room for evaluation after Magoffin County deputies say they pulled a car over and found suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine and a used, uncapped syringe sitting right next to the child's car seat. Four adults riding in the vehicle were arrested and booked into a regional jail on trafficking-related charges.
According to WKYT, the traffic stop in Magoffin County led deputies to the discovery of suspected drugs in a car carrying a small child. Deputies with the Magoffin County Sheriff's Office seized a large quantity of suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine and used syringes during the stop, per a report from z93country.com. That same account states that a used, uncapped syringe was found next to the small child while the child was in a car seat, according to the sheriff's office.
The child was taken to the emergency room for an evaluation, the station's report notes. All four adults who were in the car were arrested and taken to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.
Who Was Arrested and What They Face
The four people taken into custody were identified as Howard T. Lemaster, Steven Darrell Vanhoose, Ashley Renae Salmons and Sheana Crum, according to wmdjfm.com. Deputies reported finding multiple baggies and containers believed to contain methamphetamine and fentanyl, along with digital scales, drug paraphernalia and syringes inside the vehicle, per the same outlet.
All four were charged with trafficking-related offenses, and the citations against them also listed endangering the welfare of a minor, tampering with physical evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, wmdjfm.com reported. The evidence does not establish the individual charges tied to each defendant, bond amounts or any scheduled court dates.
What Kentucky Law Says About Child Endangerment
Kentucky law includes specific statutes covering situations where children are exposed to drugs. Under KRS 218A.1443, a person is guilty of controlled substance endangerment to a child in the third degree when they knowingly cause or permit a child to be present under specified circumstances, according to the Kentucky General Assembly. A related statute, KRS 218A.1444, covers the fourth-degree version of the same offense. Kentucky's trafficking statute, meanwhile, defines first-degree trafficking as including two grams or more of methamphetamine and any quantity of heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil or fentanyl derivatives, per the Kentucky General Assembly's statutory text. The evidence does not establish whether the amounts seized in Magoffin County meet those thresholds, nor does it confirm laboratory identification of the substances found.
The September 25, 2026, traffic stop occurred early in the morning on KY 2020. The child was released to another family member after the ER evaluation.
