Daily News
BEE SPRING, Ky. — A Bear Creek Volunteer Fire Department assistant fire chief was arrested at his Roundhill home on a drug trafficking charge.
The Barren-Edmonson County Drug Task Force and the Edmonson County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at about 3 p.m. Feb. 19 at the home of Almon Bruce Linder, 55, at 1999 E.G. Nash Road in Roundhill, where they seized more than 5 pounds of marijuana, 29 firearms – which ranged from handguns to long guns – and an undisclosed amount of cash, said Barren-Edmonson County Drug Task Force Director Jeff Scruggs.
“It was an investigation that had been taking place for a while,” Scruggs said.
Linder was charged with trafficking in marijuana 8 ounces to 5 pounds at the time of the arrest, Scruggs said. However, he added that the amount of marijuana is expected to exceed 5 pounds after the initial report.
Additional charges against Linder are expected, he said.
“If you’ve got drugs in the house and guns in the house – that’s enough for an enhancement charge,” Scruggs said.
While state law permits possession of firearms to citizens with no previous felony convictions, Scruggs said that when drugs are present at the home along with guns, it becomes a safety concern.
“The reason we seized the weapons is that law says if you have drugs in close proximity to guns, it’s a potential threat for civilians and law enforcement,” he said, adding that in a case such as this one, guns are perceived as protection for the drugs.
Linder was released Wednesday from the Hart County Jail in Munfordville after posting 10 percent of a $1,000 bond, according to a jail employee.
The penalty on drug trafficking charges varies based on the amount, Scruggs said, adding that the case will probably be presented to a Edmonson County grand jury. Attempts to reach the fire department were unsuccessful.
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