FROM STAFF REPORTS

The Harpersville Police Department responded to an anonymous complaint about an odor coming from a Harpersville Hotel room on May 9, according to a press release from the Harpersville Police Department.

The anonymous caller said the odor was a “noxious, chemical odor,” and when the officers knocked, the occupants opened the door and the officers noted a “strong smell of marijuana,” the press release stated.

The room’s occupants consented to the officers’ entry and told the officers there were “components and materials for a meth lab in the closet and marijuana and paraphernalia in the nightstand drawer,” according to the press release. The officers turned these items over to the County Drug Task Force for processing.

The occupants, Ricky Earl Sims and Jessica Brooks Callan, were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and manufacturing of a controlled substance. The press release stated that Sims was charged with possession of marijuana, first degree, and Callan was charged with possession of marijuana, second degree. Both Sims and Callan are in the Shelby County Jail.

Harpersville Police Chief David Latimer said in the press release that the arrests and confiscation of materials were due to a concerned citizen “taking a few moments to make a difference in their community. It also illustrates that such tips can be made anonymously and can assist (the police) in their continual efforts to rid the community of this problem.”