SALYERSVILLE – A Magoffin County grand jury released the following indictment after the defendant was served in his case:
Kevin E. Tucker, 65, of Berry, Kentucky, is charged with first-degree persistent felony offender (penalty enhancement). According to the indictment, on or about September 25, 2024, Tucker reportedly stands convicted of a felony after having been convicted of a felony in the last five years (in Scott County in 2021), and another felony in his lifetime (in Pendleton County in 2013).
Grand jury indictments are not released until the defendants are served in their cases. This indictment was issued on September 4, 2025.
According to the original arrest citation from September 2024, Magoffin County Sheriff Department Deputies D. Watson and N. Watson were sitting and observing the Bloomington Loop area when they saw a silver car traveling at a high rate of speed on old US 460. After observing the same car occupied three times, police approached the car, noting a strong marijuana odor coming from the vehicle. Police asked the occupants where they were going at such a high rate of speed and who was driving.
Kevin Eugene Tucker, then 64, of Berry, KY, was sitting behind the wheel when police approached, but said another person was driving the car and they had just pulled into his residence, according to the police report.
At that time, the person Tucker had identified to be the alleged driver stepped out the back door of the residence into the garage where one of the deputies was standing and told her not to move.
The woman reportedly yelled an expletive and ran back into the home, but police chased her inside and she was detained since she was wanted on previous warrants. Police found a crystal, rock-like substance believed to be methamphetamine wrapped up in a paper towel in her pocket, then after taking her to the Magoffin County Sheriff’s Office, a more thorough search was performed and police located approximately 22 grams of a white crystal, rock-like substance in her bra, according to the citations.
Police also ran the information of the other three occupants of the vehicle, with another person coming back with active police warrants, according to the arrest citations.
While searching the vehicle, police found a gray shaving kit bag belonging to Kevin Tucker with a set of scales, a small bag of marijuana buds, prescription pill bottle full of marijuana roaches and a rocky lick substance believed to be methamphetamine, according to the citations.
Kevin Tucker was charged with trafficking in marijuana (less than 8 oz.), first offense; first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, first offense (less than 2 grams of methamphetamine); and buying or possessing drug paraphernalia.
Tucker is due in court today for an arraignment in the persistent felony offender case and for a pretrial conference for the drug case on December 4, 2025.
Editor’s Note: The indictment or charge of a person by a grand jury or otherwise is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
