LONDON, Ky. (WDKY) -- Federal agents made a gut-churning discovery when they stopped by a home in London, Kentucky, looking for a man connected to multiple Drug Enforcement Administration investigations.
An affidavit obtained by Nexstar's WDKY shows that federal agents were made aware of 53-year-old Scottie Shelton's alleged connections to the eastern Kentucky drug trade. Shelton had reportedly served as an informant in the past, and on Aug. 12, Special Agent David Wilson and several other agents set out for Shelton's home in hopes that he'd share information pertinent to their other investigations.
According to the affidavit, there was a white sheet metal "structure" about 100 yards from the primary residence. Wilson noted that they couldn't initially find Shelton, but were met with a "strong and pungent odor," similar to that of a "decaying corpse," near the white metal building.
One of the agents on scene contacted a source, who explained that they'd personally seen a "jail cell" built on the second story of the metal building, and in 2020 had allegedly seen photographs of a "young female" restrained inside.
Around 3 p.m., agents requested a welfare check. After the Laurel County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived on the scene, Shelton emerged from the metal building and permitted investigators to come inside.
According to Agent Wilson, upstairs, deputies found a "cell-like room that appeared to be a torture chamber" complete with handcuffs, rope, and several guns. Downstairs, deputies found a deer carcass in another room with "a lot of disturbed earth."
Shelton reportedly told investigators that he typically buries drugs around the property and sometimes forgets where he buried them. He allowed the agents to rummage through one dirt pile in particular, where authorities uncovered what Wilson describes as a "human bone." Shelton explained that a man had brought "Indian remains" to his property and buried them in that same area, per an affidavit.
That's when authorities decided to secure a search warrant for Shelton's property.
The sheriff's office contacted Kentucky Fish and Wildlife (KFW), reporting finding a rotting two-point buck in the metal building. When KFW arrived on the scene, officials discovered:
* A bobcat skull
* 2 mounted bobcats
* A hawk's head and feet
* 20 deer skulls and caps
* A turkey beard under seven inches
* A turkey beard under 10 inches
* A turkey beard attached to the feet and spurs under an inch
* A turkey beard attached to the feet and spurs over an inch
According to a citation, none of the harvested animals were reported.
During an interview with special agents, Shelton reportedly admitted to burying around eight kilograms of methamphetamine and an unknown amount of pills in the garage, but he'd forgotten where they were. When he recently remembered, an affidavit noted that Shelton decided to dig them up and give the drugs to people he knew.
According to Wilson, Shelton drew a map of where the narcotics were buried. Using the map, investigators said they found 6,000 pills believed to be oxycodone and around 1,200 grams of methamphetamine.
Shelton faces 24 counts of illegal take of deer/wild turkey and illegal taking of wildlife on the state level. Federal investigators have charged Shelton with possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
He was lodged in the Laurel County Detention Center and is in U.S. Marshal custody.