Four arrested in narcotics bust

Three adults and one juvenile were taken into custody after Fort Scott Police officers executed a search warrant Wednesday afternoon of a local residence.

About 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Fort Scott Police Department officers arrived at 601 Heylman to serve a narcotics-related search warrant. Upon arrival, officers made contact with three adults and one juvenile, a news release said.

Marcus A. Rodriguez, 20, Tyler D. Fornoff, 19, and Vannessa M. Foster, 20, were all subsequently arrested and booked into the Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center for felony possession of drug paraphernalia. The juvenile was transported to the police station and released to a guardian, the release said.

FSPD Interim Police Chief Travis Shelton said officers acted on the search warrant following an investigation that came about after receiving some tips from the community.

"We had some community tips that initiated the investigation," he said.

Shelton said the type of narcotics confiscated is not known at this time until testing on the substances is completed. He said officers are continuing an investigation connected to the narcotics warrant and additional charges may be submitted for prosecution.

"There may be possible additional narcotics-related charges," he said. "Suspected controlled substances are being submitted to the laboratory and additional charges may stem as a result."

Drug paraphernalia is defined by state statute as "all equipment and materials of any kind which are used, or primarily intended or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, concealing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance and in violation of this act," according to information from FSPD Sgt. Det. Jason Pickert.

Felony drug paraphernalia include items used to manufacture, cultivate or distribute illegal drugs. Misdemeanor drug paraphernalia are items used to consume illegal drugs, the information said.

All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, the release said.