Apartment fire leads to arrest

A woman whose apartment caught fire in the early morning hours this past Thursday was arrested after firefighters found illegal substances in the remains of her home.

Maxine Joann Hawkins, 26, 713 S. Washington Ave., Russellville, was arrested Thursday evening and charged with chemical endangerment of a child after investigators discovered she had been using illegal substances in the presence of her two-year-old child.

According to Russellville Police Chief Chris Hargett, officers responded to assist with a fire call at Redwood Apartments on Washington Avenue in Russellville at 3:09 a.m. Thursday.

Russellville Fire Department Capt. Steve Thornton said fire officials were able to determine the fire started in Hawkins’ apartment and, although they arrived on the scene quickly, the fire caused enough damage to displace 10 people and make the apartment complex uninhabitable until it can be rebuilt.

After firefighters were finally able to extinguish the fire and sort through the scene, Hargett said firefighters noticed something strange when going through Hawkins’ apartment.

“Firefighters advised us they had found a partially burned ashtray with what appeared to be drug paraphernalia and an illegal substance still inside,” Hargett said.

“Once we received this information, we went to interview Hawkins.”

Hargett said the interview was conducted with representatives from the Franklin County Department of Human Resources since a young child was potentially involved.

“Hawkins consented to a drug test and her child was tested as well,” Hargett said. “After her child tested positive for controlled substances, Hawkins was charged and arrested.”

Hawkins remains in custody at the Franklin County Jail on a $2,500 cash bond.

The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time.