Suspected drug dealer busted north of Seymour

The Webster County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant leading to a drug bust north of Seymour Friday, June 14. In total, approximately 6.69 ounces of methamphetamine was located in the search of the home, which investigators believe was the location of numerous illegal narcotic sales.

“We’ve been surveying and building a case for quite a while and got enough information to obtain a search warrant,” Sheriff Roye Cole explained. “The Sheriff’s office and Seymour Police Department, along with the Highway Patrol all went out and executed it together, and turned up quite a bit of meth and some defaced firearms.

When the warrant was served, Marion Lee Pickett, of Seymour, was located in the residence on Forrest Road and detained. Authorities also located David Pickett in a bedroom and detained him during the search.

According to the probable cause statement, Marion made a comment to police before she was read Miranda rights that everything in the home was her. When officers asked how much illegal narcotics were in the residence, she told them there was at least an ounce.

In the search, a total of 6.69 ounces of methamphetamine was located in various places around the home; all of the meth was packaged in either vacuum-sealed bags or smaller orange ziplock baggies. The police executing the search warrant also found two glass straws with white residue, a scale, and glass pipe, as well as a substance that was identified as psilocybin mushrooms in the living room. A .357 Winchester rifle was located in the living room as well, along with multiple items of paraphernalia containing methamphetamine residue.

In the bedroom, the probable cause statement details two rifles and a handgun were located, as well as a long glass straw with methamphetamine residue. In a shed on the side of the house, a Ruger handgun and a Smith & Wesson handgun were both found with the serial numbers etched off. They also found another baggie of meth, a box of drug paraphernalia and scales, and a trap door in the shed where they found a bag containing a bottle of multi-colored pills with The Rolling Stones logo printed on them. Authorities identified these as ecstasy.

A vehicle on the property also contained methamphetamine in a purse in the back seat, which Marion told deputies belonged to her prior to searching it.

Marion Lee Pickett and David Pickett were arrested and booked into the Webster County Jail. Marion Pickett was charged with Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Felony C), two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon – Possession of Weapon and Felony Controlled Substance (Felony E), and two counts of Possession of a Defaced Firearm (Misdemeanor B). As of publication deadline Tuesday, no charges were yet filed against David Pickett.

“The home was pretty heavily monitored,” Sheriff Cole added. “They had a lot of security cameras so we'll review all of that, and probably build more cases as a result of it.”

According to the probable cause statement, once at the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Marion was reminded of her Miranda rights and asked how much methamphetamine she thought she had at her house. Marion told deputies she had an ounce and a half and that everything in the house was hers. She said the two handguns in the shed also belonged to her and she bought them for $100 each, but claimed she did not know about the defaced serial numbers.

Marion admitted she had been selling illegal narcotics for a side income, telling deputies she was expecting someone to come buy drugs that day.

“We would encourage people to go get treatment now before we catch them, because if they do it long enough, it's either going to kill them or we're going to catch them,” Cole added. “That's just how that road ends, and I prefer them proactively go get help. If anyone needs resources, we can help guide them.”