Authorities raid Corbin apartment complex for meth lab; three arrested

A Tuesday meth lab raid in northern Knox County resulted in the arrest of three suspects and a trip to the emergency room for Knox Sheriff John Pickard.

While investigating a tip about a working meth lab at the Schoolhouse Apartments, off Spider Creek Road, Pickard opened what appeared to be a harmless pill bottle.

However, the bottle contained iodine crystals, a compound that can cause longtime liver damage.

Pickard said they had received a tip about illegal drug activity and went to investigate at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
When Pickard and deputy Roy Gambrel knocked on the apartment’s front door, deputy John Whitehead said a female, identified as Susan Thomas, came out the back door.

“I asked her where she was going?” Whitehead said, adding he  then noticed items that confirmed illegal activity. “I saw drug paraphernalia on the table and a torch on the floor,” he said.

Once inside, officers found a complete working meth lab, as well as all the components for another lab in a bag. Whitehead said the lab was different from other labs. “This was a  red phosphorous lab. This kind is more dangerous,” he said, adding that a “cooking” temperature variance of plus or minus two  degrees can cause such labs to explode.

Arrested were Jerry Lee Lambdin, 30, of Corbin; Reva Diane Reynolds, 52, of Keavy; and  Susan Thomas, 38, of Corbin. They were charged with manufacturing meth, first and second-degree trafficking in controlled substance, first-degree possession of controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

At the time of her arrest, Reynolds was already on home incarceration for previous drug charges. Thomas also has previous drug charges. Whitehead said that while there were no children in the residence, there were children and other people in apartments on both sides.

“They also were each charged with 10 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment (police officer).

Whitehead said a hazmat team from London was called in to dismantle and destroy the lab and were on the scene for about an hour. In addition to a large amount of cash, police seized around 237 pills include over-the-counter and prescription medications. All three suspects are set for arraignment Thursday in Knox District Court.