Arkansas City man arrested on suspicion of manufacturing meth

McKnown, 33, also accused of four counts of aggravated child endangerment

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (January 30, 2021) – The Arkansas City Police Department arrested an Arkansas City man Friday in connection with a homegrown methamphetamine lab endangering children.

Kevin Michael McKnown, 33, was arrested on suspicion of felony manufacturing of methamphetamine and four counts of aggravated child endangerment. He was transported to and booked into the Cowley County Jail in Winfield in lieu of $70,000 bond through Cowley County District Court in Arkansas City. McKnown remained in custody at the time of this news release.

Prior to Friday, Arkansas City police had been working with various members of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) after learning of suspected methamphetamine manufacturing at 1405 South A St.

After further investigation and cooperation, probable cause was determined, and a search warrant for the residence was applied for and granted on Friday afternoon.

Arkansas City police executed the search warrant at 1405 South A St., assisted by KBI, the Cowley County Drug Task Force and the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office.

During the search, four young children were placed into police protective custody and later transferred to the custody of family members, who were called to the scene. McKnown was present at the time the search warrant was executed and was taken into custody without incident.

A search of the premises led to the discovery of many ingredients used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine, including gassing generators and a working product.

A defendant’s guilt or innocence is to be determined by a court of law.