Kyle Wrightsman and Brittany Elmore

(KAIR)--The focus on Atchison-area illegal drug sales culminates in the arrest of two, who now face numerous charges, following the execution of a search warrant late Thursday morning.

Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie told MSC News the arrest of 24-year-old Kyle Wrightsman and 24-year-old Brittany Elmore followed an investigation focused on the residence they shared at Atchison's Terrace Hills Apartment that had been underway for the past several weeks. “We were involved in an investigation on some methamphetamine and some other narcotics,” Laurie said. 'We were able to purchase the narcotics within the last few weeks, and started our investigation at that point.”

Wrightsman had left the apartment just prior to the raid, but his vehicle was quickly stopped, and he was arrested in the 1200 block of Division Street.

Elmore had also left prior to the raid, and was taken into custody a short time after the arrest of Wrightsman.

The Sheriff's Office, following the arrests, raided the 1200 North 5th Street Apartment, and Wrightsman now faces charges including distribution of methamphetamine, possession of heroin, possession of a prescription schedule 3 narcotic, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of a firearm, and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He was additionally arrested on an Atchison County District Court warrant for theft.

Elmore faces charges including distribution of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Laurie says both were also taken into custody for aggravated endangering of a child, with Elmore facing two counts. “In the apartment, there were three children present. One of the children was sleeping in the bedroom where there were syringes less than a foot away, under a pillow, on the same bed that the baby was sleeping on,” Laurie said. “There's just also a statute that with the sale of methamphetamine within the residence is considered aggravated endangerment of a child. With that environment they had up there we seized numerous syringes and a lot of different paraphernalia up there. It would have been accessible to these children, so definitely a dangerous situation for those children.”

Following their arrests, Wrightsman and Elmore were booked into the Atchison County Jail.

Laurie says Atchison Police provided assistance outside the apartment with the office's Special Response Team on stand-by. However, with both suspects arrested prior to the raid, the unit did not have to be deployed.