Three Corbin residents were arrested by police late Thursday night for allegedly running a bootlegging operation out of their Barbourville Street home.
A confidential informant for the Corbin Police Department made a second successful purchase at the 94 Barbourville Street home and authorities quickly followed up with a search warrant at about 10:30 p.m.
Arrested in the raid were Billy Ray Eaton, 64; his nephew Steve Eaton, 29, and Brenda Smith, 69, all of Corbin. Smith, police say, is the homeowner.
Billy Eaton was charged with illegal possession of alcohol in a dry territory second offense, and three counts of drug possession.
Steve Eaton and Brenda Smith were each charged with illegal transportation of alcohol in a dry territory and three counts of drug possession.
"We’ve got a bunch of calls on it and complaints for the last six months about it going on up here," said Corbin K-9 Officer Coy Wilson who is leading the investigation. "We’ve been watching them."
Wilson said he plans to charge all three with illegal sale of alcohol in a dry territory, a misdemeanor offense. For Bill and Steve Eaton, police say this will be their second bootlegging arrest within the last six months. They were arrested Sept. 4 this year for selling alcohol in the parking lot of the Tri-County Square Shopping Center.
"He (Billy Eaton) said he wasn’t doing anything illegal," Wilson said Bill Eaton told him when police arrived at the house with a search warrant. "He said he’d already been caught once and he wouldn’t do anything stupid like that again."
Police seized dozens of cases of beer from the home and sitting in the bed of a truck parked outside the residence. Also discovered were numerous bottles of various brands of whiskey, vodka and other liquors. Receipts were discovered showing recent purchase of the alcohol. Wilson said only a nominal amount of money was taken by police. All told 720 cans of beer (approximately 30 cases) and 59 bottles of various type of liquor were seized.
Additionally, authorities discovered some prescription pain pills that did not appear to be in their proper containers.
The Eatons were released from the Knox County Jail last week on a $5,000 cash bond. Smith was released Monday on a $2,500 cash bond.
Assisting Wilson in the raid were officers Rick Baker, Shannon Jones, Glenn Taylor Jr., and Steve Meadors.
