BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — A man tried to break into a home in Inez but ended up in jail Thursday morning after police say they caught him at the scene with meth in his pocket.

Chief Deputy Chris Kidd of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call around 8:32 a.m. reporting an attempted break-in at a residence on Spring Branch. The homeowner, who was inside at the time, told dispatchers the man was trying to force his way in.

When Kidd arrived, he found 39-year-old Jeffery Brandon Marcum of Louisa standing on the porch. Marcum complied with the deputy’s order to approach him.

“I noticed a large bulge in his back pocket,” Kidd wrote in the arrest citation.

When questioned about it, Marcum allegedly said, “It’s not mine. I picked it up.”

Asked if the deputy could retrieve the item, Marcum reportedly claimed, “It’s my sunglasses.”

Instead, Kidd found a black case containing a clear crystal substance and several syringes, according to the report.

Marcum was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance in the first degree (methamphetamine) and possession of drug paraphernalia. He remains in jail at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.