Domestic dispute call Sunday leads to arrest of three people for child endangerment

A call about a possible domestic dispute at an apartment led Williamsburg police to arrest three people on child endangerment charges late Sunday evening.

Williamsburg police arrested Chelsey Lawson, 18, of Williamsburg, Shawn Daniel Lawson, 24, and Kylie Scott, 22, both of Keavy, and charged all three with two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.

Shawn Lawson was also charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Shortly before 11 p.m., Williamsburg police responded to an apartment at 251 Rice Street to investigate the call, and neighbors pointed police to the apartment where the dispute was reportedly taking place.

Williamsburg Police Sgt. Brandon White reported that while he was walking to the door of the apartment someone opened the door and he saw several people in the apartment some of whom walked away into bedrooms and closed the doors, he wrote on one arrest citation.

When police entered the apartment, White reported smelling marijuana, and saw Chelsey Lawson, who was the apartment resident, holding a baby. He also observed marijuana and grinder residue in plain view in the kitchen.

There were nine adults and two children in the home. Two of the adults had warrants for their arrest.

According to Whitley County Detention Center records, Shawn Lawson and Scott both had two failure to appear warrants that police served them with.

Chelsey Lawson refused to give police permission to search the residence, and officers applied for a search warrant, White wrote.

Chelsey Lawson told police she was in a caretaking role and admitted she smoked marijuana that day, according to her arrest citation.

Scott and Shawn Lawson are the biological parents of the two children found in the apartment, according to arrest citations.

Shawn Lawson admitted to being in possession of a green leafy substances and several drug paraphernalia items inside the residence, according to his arrest citation.

A social worker with the Kentucky Department of Community-Based Services was contacted regarding the children.

All three were lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center.

Shawn Lawson pleaded guilty to all four charges during his arraignment Monday afternoon in Whitley District Court.

Judge Fred White scheduled a Jan. 15 sentencing hearing in the case, and set a $1,000 cash bond for Shawn Lawson.

Chelsey Lawson and Scott pleaded not guilty during their arraignments Monday. White scheduled a Jan. 15 pretrial conference in their cases.

White set a $500 cash bond for Scott and a $1,000 third party surety bond or signature bond for Chelsey Lawson.

White, and Officers David Rowe, Justin Taylor, Johnny Fulton and Matt Cope conducted the investigation.