Deputies with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office uncovered quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl while investigating a tip regarding a missing juvenile at a residence on Leland Pryor Road in Crossville, Tennessee.

Law enforcement responded to property on Leland Pryor Road on August 6, 2026, following leads that a missing female juvenile might be located there. Upon arrival, deputies encountered Duane Whited in the driveway and observed 56-year-old Jerry Wayne Preston asleep in the driver’s seat of a pickup truck with a baggie of methamphetamine in plain view. Preston admitted the substance was methamphetamine.

During the investigation, deputies learned that 24-year-old Daydrian Dunaway was initially inside the residence but fled on foot before authorities could fully detain him. Intercepted phone communications later captured Dunaway admitting that he hid in a bathroom and ditched narcotics when deputies arrived before hitchhiking a home ride.

Preston faces charges related to the manufacture, delivery, sale, or possession of methamphetamine. Dunaway was subsequently arrested on August 28, 2026, and charged with simple possession. The missing juvenile investigation prompted the initial response, and approximately 9.14 grams of methamphetamine and 0.1 grams of fentanyl were seized as drug evidence and logged to be sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for testing.