Seven children have been removed from a home and two people arrested following a meth bust at a home on South Street in Greenfield on Wednesday.
The Greenfield Police Department was dispatched to 647 South St. to aid Highland County Children Services in an investigation and follow up on children inside the home. There were seven children living in the home. Four were at school and three were still in the home during the investigation, according to the police department.
Arrested were Richard Baker, 41, and Tiffany Bennett, 28, both of Greenfield.
According to Sgt. Jeremiah Oyer with GPD, while at the door of the residence, officers noticed a strong odor of chemicals. They were given permission to search the property by Baker, who rents the home. During the search, officers said they found multiple methamphetamine-related items, as well as “several” one-pot meth cookers. Inside the home, they said they found many one-pot cookers with meth residue from former cooking and finished product.
Both Bennett and Baker were taken into custody and charged with felony illegal assembly. The investigation and additional charges are still pending, according to Oyer.
“Based on the amount of meth-related items found in the home, I do believe that a fairly good-sized meth operation has been shut down,” Oyer said.
The seven children removed from the home have been turned over to Highland County Children Services, “where they have been placed in homes so they’re safe,” Oyer said.
Agencies that assisted at the scene were Highland County Children Services, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), officers with the Washington C.H. Police Department, and Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District.
The investigation is ongoing, Oyer said, and additional charges are pending a BCI analysis and a review of the case by the Highland County Prosecutor’s Office.
