Four people, apparently living undetected in an elderly relative’s Point Escambia apartment, were arrested last Tuesday (March 7) after a neighbor reported the odor of methamphetamine coming from the one-bedroom living quarters.
Point Escambia is a federally subsidized housing complex for senior citizens and disabled individuals.
Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks confirmed Friday afternoon that the arrests came after the tenant, who was not involved in the criminal activity, allowed officers to search the unit.
“We received a call concerning individuals being in an apartment that were not supposed to be there, and a strong smell of what the person believed to be methamphetamine,” Brooks said. “When our officers got there, all four of the individuals were present, and the tenant gave us consent to search the apartment.”
According to the chief, “narcotics evidence was located,” and the four were taken into custody.
Arrested were James Thomas “Tommy” Smith, 48, and his wife, 47-year-old Kimberly Fuller Smith, along with Casey Lynn Wall and Owen Casey Orem, both 44.
Each is charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
An employee of the Escambia County Detention Center’s booking and release division reported Monday that Kimberly Fuller Smith was released after a bond of $7,500 was posted on her behalf, while James Thomas Smith remained in the county jail under a $7,500 bond.
Wall and Orem also remained behind bars, each held under a $5,000 bond.