By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force is investigating a pair of Walker County men who police said allegedly provided crystal methamphetamine to a child younger than 18.

The arrest came after a Pelham police officer pulled over a car containing 38-year-old Jasper resident Bobby Allen Hicks and 26-year-old Jess Marlin Kilgore in the early morning hours of July 23, said Pelham police Lt. Pete Folmar.

During the traffic stop, Folmar said the suspects made statements to make police believe the men had provided methamphetamine to a child.

“It all stemmed from a traffic stop.” Folmar said. “Basically, those two suspects and the juvenile lived together and were smoking crystal methamphetamine together.”

After police made the arrests, the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force took over the investigation. Task Force Cmdr. Kevin Turner said the agency is still investigating the case. As of July 24, the suspects were being held in the Shelby County Jail and formal charges had not yet been filed against the suspects, pending the issuance of warrants.

According to Alabama law, furnishing of a controlled substance by a person older than 18 to a person younger than 18 is a Class A felony. Those convicted of a Class A felony face a minimum prison sentence of 10 years.