Stolen gun report inadvertently leads police to meth

A report about a stolen gun early Saturday morning led authorities to the discovery of methamphetamine at a Williamsburg motel Sunday morning.

About 3 a.m. Saturday, Whitley County Sheriff’s K-9 Deputy Brian Hensley responded to a report of a stolen handgun at a south US25W residence.

The homeowner told police that he allowed a woman into his home because she claimed to have been beaten by her boyfriend and was seeking a place to spend the night, according to a sheriff’s department release.

The homeowner further told police that the woman followed him into a bedroom and told him that she was a prostitute, the release stated.

“He said that when he declined her advance, she left. After she left, he noticed a nightstand drawer was open with a .38 caliber revolver missing,” Sheriff Colan Harrell said in the release.

The homeowner couldn’t provide police with the woman’s name, but did give them a physical description of her.

The next day, Williamsburg Police Officer Cody Jeffries contacted Hensley regarding a woman matching the description of the alleged gun thief.

Hensley located the 39-year-old female at the Budget Inn Motel and she showed signs of injury.

“She admitted to stealing the handgun but said she had sold it,” Harrell wrote in the release.

Hensley and Jeffries went to another room in the motel where they made contact with Travis Partin, 34, of Jellico.

During a search of the room, police found about eight grams of methamphetamine hidden under the bathroom sink, and several needles hidden in the toilet tank, the release noted.

In addition, authorities found a .22 caliber Colt Peacemaker hidden in the motel wall.

Partin denied the items were his and stated that they all belonged to the female, the release noted.

He did admit to using methamphetamine, according to his arrest citation.

The woman was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment due to her injuries.

Hensley arrested Partin at 6:01 a.m. charging him with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center where he is being held in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond.

Whitley District Judge Fred White entered a not guilty plea on Partin’s behalf during his arraignment Monday afternoon.

White appointed the public advocate’s office to represent Partin and scheduled a Feb. 27 preliminary hearing in his case.

So far the .38 caliber pistol that the homeowner reported as stolen Saturday hasn’t been recovered yet.

Harrell said that Partin isn’t the person, who the woman allegedly sold the gun to.

According to the arrest citation, the woman told police that Partin did allegedly help her sell the .38 caliber pistol for meth.

So far the woman hasn’t been charged in connection with the case, Harrell said.

“It is fair to say the investigation pertaining to her is still pending,” Harrell noted.