HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. — A man is facing drug and gun charges after a welfare check for children in Mooresburg, according to the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office.
A deputy responded to the 9200 block of Highway 11W late Tuesday and saw three children through the window of a camper. The camper was filled with trash and the children were asleep on a couch, according to a Hawkins County Sheriff's Office report.
A deputy knocked on the door, and one of the children let him inside. The deputy immediately smelled marijuana and spoke with the suspect, 32-year-old Joshua Hinkle. Hinkle admitted to smoking marijuana after the children went to bed, police said. The deputy saw marijuana, THC wax, and a glass pipe, the report said, and the deputy put Hinkle in handcuffs.
The deputy discovered a semi-automatic pistol tucked into his pants and found a marijuana baggy in his pocket, the report added. The serial number was scratched off the gun, the deputy said in the report. The deputy then saw an open backpack with four large bags of marijuana, one small baggy with two ecstasy pills, and more than 100 baggies. The weight of the pot was more than four ounces and two scales with residue were also beside the bag, the report added.
Hinkle was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, altering a serial number, and multiple drug-related charges.