PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Officials in Pigeon Forge have released the names of the five people rounded up after police found a working methamphetamine not far from police headquarters.
Acting on a tip, authorities found the lab around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night at a home on Pine Mountain Road.
They arrested four people who lived in house, Charles Hux, 26, Hohnny Ray Hicks, 33, Belinda Pauline Henderson, 47, and Cynthia Whaley, 27, as well as David Brian Burke, 24. All five were charged with Methamphetamine Production, while Whaley also faces charges of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Reckless Endangerment, and Child Endangerment. Police said her three year old child was on the scene and given into the custody of Children's Services.
However, beginning July 1, 2011, the Child Endangerment charge will be a felony rather than a misdemeanor. It's all part of the "I Hate Meth Act" that was signed by Gov. Bill Haslem. It's an effort to beat the meth problem in Tennessee.
Both Pigeon Forge Police and the Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force cleaned up the scene over the course of about six hours.