Sumter County deputies charge two for manufacturing meth, five-year-old treated for meth exposure

Two people have been charged, and one child is now in protective custody, after an anonymous tip regarding a wanted fugitive led Sumter County deputies to uncover a meth lab at a home in Sumter Thursday morning.

Braden Bunch, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said 35-year-old Jamey Koon and 24-year-old Brandi Bone, both of Sumter, are facing manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and child endangerment charges in connection with the case.

Bunch said investigators received an anonymous tip that Koon, who was wanted in Berkeley County for manufacturing methamphetamine charges, was located at a residence in the 3400 block of Ramsey Road in Sumter.

Sumter County deputies arrived at the home at 6:30 a.m. to look for Koon and located him walking along the street near the home, Bunch said. As Koon was taken into custody, deputies were granted access into the residence with permission of one of the residents and discovered evidence of methamphetamine manufacturing hidden in the floor vents.

Bunch said the residence was evacuated and Sumter firefighters, Sumter County EMS, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agents and members of the Sumter County Emergency Management Division were called to the scene to assist in decontamination efforts.

In total, 12 people had to go through decontamination at the scene for exposure to a meth lab, including a five-year-old boy who lived at the home, Bunch said. The boy was traveling to school at the time of the lab’s discovery.

The boy has since been placed in emergency protective custody by the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Bunch said.

Both Koon and Bone were decontaminated and transported to the Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center, Bunch said.

Sumter County officials will continue to investigate the case and more charges and arrests could be forthcoming, Bunch said.