MARTIN COUNTY, KY. MAN ARRESTED AFTER SHERIFF OFFICE DRUG RAID LEADS TO GUNS, MARIJUANA, AND CASH SEIZED DURING BUST
INVESTIGATION IN THE DRUG CASE HAD BEEN ONGOING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS
MAY 14, 2026 – written by WADE QUEEN
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TYLER HARRISON HARLESS, 28 OF TOMAHAWK, KENTUCKY; WAS ARRESTED ON TUESDAY, MAY 12, BY THE MARTIN COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE, AFTER FIREARMS. MARIJUANA, CASH, AND OTHER CONTRABAND, WERE SEIZED DURING SEARCH WARRANTS AT RESIDENCES IN TOMAHAWK AND WARFIELD.
A Martin County, Kentucky man was arrested earlier this week after deputies raided two properties and uncovered more than 12 ounces of marijuana, an arsenal of firearms and more than $13,000 in cash following a monthslong investigation, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Tyler Harrison Harless, 28, of Tomahawk, was arrested Tuesday, May 12, at Dempsey Housing in Warfield, KY., on charges of trafficking in marijuana involving 8 ounces to 5 pounds, first offense, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Law enforcement investigators stated that the case developed over several months as deputies received repeated tips about suspected drug activity involving Tyler Harless.
Martin County Sheriff John H. Kirk said deputies had been surveilling Tyler Harless before acting on new information received on Monday, May 11.
“We got a tip yesterday,” Sheriff Kirk said on Tuesday. “And deputy J.C. Kirk, my son, wanted to get a search warrant to see if something was going on there.”
Deputy J.C. Kirk first obtained a search warrant for a residence on Gayle Carter Road in Tomahawk, KY., where investigators believed suspicious activity had been occurring.
Deputies arrived at the property Tuesday and found the door unlatched, according to the sheriff.
“We got the search warrant and went to the residence where, we had been told, people were coming and going,” Sheriff Kirk stated. “The door was actually not latched. We made an entry and there was no one there.”
During the search, deputies discovered marijuana, digital scales, multiple rifles; including AR-15-style platforms; a shotgun, multiple pistols, ammunition magazines, and $13,153 in cash.
“We located several guns and several thousand dollars in cash,” Sheriff Kirk said. “There were small amounts of marijuana there, and baggies commonly used in the trafficking of marijuana.”
After the initial search, investigators obtained a second search warrant for a residence at Dempsey Housing in Warfield, where Tyler Harless had reportedly been staying.
At the Warfield residence, deputies allegedly discovered additional marijuana, cash, scales and packaged marijuana products before taking Harless into custody.
According to the police arrest report, the total amount of marijuana seized during the investigation weighed 12.628 ounces. Sheriff Kirk said the investigation remains ongoing.
Sheriff John Kirk and deputy J.C. Kirk, deputy David Adams and deputy Zach Waller executed the search warrants.
