Hampton couple face meth, child abuse charges
Published 8:08 am Wednesday, April 1, 2015
A Hampton man and woman face multiple charges after police say they were involved in cooking meth in a home and had exposed a teenage child to the process.
Carter County Sheriff’s Department officers arrested George Reginald Maupin, 39, of 401 Dennis Cove Road, Hampton, and Clara Lea Lowe, 22, of 104 Nave St., Lot 4, Hampton, late Friday night after serving a search warrant at a Hampton home. Officers charged Maupin with one count each of manufacture of methamphetamine, aggravated child abuse, felony possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a dwelling where a controlled substance is manufactured or sold. Officers charged Lowe with aggravated child abuse and promotion of methamphetamine manufacture.
At 11 p.m. Friday, officers of the sheriff’s department executed a search warrant at the home on Dennis Cove Road in Hampton as part of an ongoing investigation into the production of methamphetamine, CCSD Sgt. Mike Carlock said.
“Upon searching the residence, officers recovered several items related to the promotion and production of methamphetamine,” he said. Officers also found Lowe at the home and learned she had obtained pseudoephedrine to be used in cooking meth.
In a hidden space underneath the bathroom floor, officers found a plastic bottle which was determined to be a one-pot meth lab that had been recently used.
Also present in the home when the search warrant was served was a 14-year-old female juvenile, who had been brought to the home by Lowe, CCSD Investigator Harmon Duncan said in his arrest warrant for Lowe. Officers learned that the female juvenile “had previously been returned to family from unauthorized association with Lowe,” on the recommendation of Juvenile Court, Duncan said.
“The juvenile was taken into protective custody, Child Protective Services was contacted and the child was remanded to the custody of a family member,” Carlock said.
Officers charged Maupin and Lowe with aggravated child abuse under Tennessee Hailey’s Law, which allows law enforcement to upgrade a child abuse, neglect or endangerment charge to aggravated if a deadly weapon, dangerous instrument or controlled substance is used to accomplish the act.
“It is my belief that George Maupin and Clara Lowe were aware of and participated in meth activity at this location and knowingly allowed a juvenile to be exposed to the process of methamphetamine manufacture which resulted in the quarantine of the residence,” Duncan said.
Officers transported Maupin and Lowe to the Carter County Detention Center, where the two are still being held. Maupin’s bond was set at $15,000 and Lowe’s was set at $10,000. The two were expected to be arraigned in Carter County General Sessions Court today.