BY V. LAUREL SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — A Martin County grand jury Thursday indicted two Inez women for allegedly selling marijuana vape products to minors.
Linda Slone, 53, and Thelma Goforth, 54, each face charges of second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor and first-degree wanton endangerment-complicity.
The indictments allege that Jan. 8 and Jan. 16, 2026, Slone and Goforth acted alone or in complicity in inducing, assisting or causing a juvenile younger than 18 to engage in illegal controlled substance activity involving marijuana. The indictments further state that their conduct created a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to a juvenile child.
Bond was set at $5,000 each.
The charges stem from a January investigation by the Martin County Schools Police Department into alleged THC vape sales to underage customers at Smokin Hott & More in Inez. Police executed a search warrant at the business Jan. 16 after a Martin County High School student became ill and was hospitalized Jan. 13 after using a THC vape on school grounds.
In a separate incident during the investigation, authorities said they found elementary school students with a THC vape that middle school students had hidden on a school bus.
Police said juveniles in both incidents said they had purchased the products directly from Goforth and Slone at the store. Investigators later obtained five statements from juvenile students who allegedly said the women knowingly sold THC products to minors.
According to police records, both women voluntarily gave statements after the search warrant. They allegedly admitted to selling THC products to underage customers.
“They estimated that they had knowingly sold to 50 or more minors,” police stated in January. “During their interview, they corroborated details of the statements we received from the juveniles involved. They stated that they had become comfortable earning the extra money they were getting from selling to juveniles. Ms. Slone admitted that she would advise juveniles to ‘tell their friends’ about their operations. Ms. Goforth stated that she had told minors, ‘Don’t be telling everybody. I will scratch your back, and you scratch mine.’”
Police said the women also admitted they sometimes gave juveniles free products to encourage them to return and continue purchasing from the store.
“Goforth admitted that she had tried an extremely potent ‘Mellow Fellow’ THC vape from her inventory and did not like the dangerous effects of the product,” police said in January. “She advised that she would suggest juveniles try a less potent product, but stated that she would still sell the extremely potent THC products to juveniles.”
Investigators said the same “Mellow Fellow” vape was purchased at Smokin Hott & More by one juvenile and later used by another, resulting in the student’s hospitalization.
Goforth and Slone also allegedly told investigators they operated a customer loyalty system that rewarded repeat purchases. According to police, the store used a punch card system that offered a free product after 10 purchases.
“They advised that they did not I.D. their customers and that they knew minors were using the punch cards as a means of purchasing their products,” police said.
Both women allegedly told investigators they had begun reconsidering the sales. They reportedly said they feared that refusing to serve juvenile customers could lead to retaliation or reports to law enforcement.
“I’m done with doing dirty money,” Slone said, according to police.
Goforth also allegedly told investigators she wanted the business to succeed and had a vision for its future, while acknowledging she had become comfortable profiting from sales to minors, according to police.
Police originally charged both women after the Jan. 16 search. Thursday’s indictments move the case forward in the Martin Circuit Court.
An indictment is a formal accusation, not a conviction. All defendants are innocent unless proven guilty in court.