SCOTTSVILLE — Police charged a Scottsville couple with endangering their three young children in the family home where the couple is accused of making methamphetamine.

After an eight-month investigation, police on Tuesday charged Benjamin and Letitia Kraft, 236 Isom Bradley Road, with manufacturing methamphetamine, first-degree possession of a controlled substance/methamphetamine, tampering with physical evidence and three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment involving a child, according to Allen Circuit Court records.

“The allegation is that the children were in the home when they were making meth, and the children were exposed to it,” Allen County Attorney Bill Hagenbuch said.

“Meth is volatile. It’s not only disruptive to breathe the fumes, we’ve had several cases where houses have caught on fire,” Hagenbuch said.

The process used in making meth produces toxic fumes, leaves hazardous residue on people and objects in the structures where it is cooked and creates the possibility of fire and explosions. Exposure to the chemicals used to make meth could cause life-threatening illnesses to children.

Benjamin Kraft, 47, and Letitia Kraft, 32, remain in the Allen County Detention Center, where his bond is set at $10,000 cash and her bond is set at $10,000 surety.

Hagenbuch could not say if the children have been placed in state custody because those court proceedings are closed to the public.

The Krafts’ children are 5, 6 and 7 years old, according to court records.

“The routine procedure is if (children) are found at a meth lab site, they will decontaminate them,” said Clint Willis, commonwealth’s attorney for the 49th Judicial District, comprised of Simpson and Allen counties. “If there are any symptoms, they will take them in for treatment. It’s routine if there are children found in a meth lab situation that social services is involved.”

Both Krafts waived their right to preliminary hearings Wednesday in Allen District Court, according to court records. That means the charges against them will be sent to an Allen County grand jury.

On Nov. 17, Kentucky State Police Drug Task Force Detective Mike Wimpee began investigating information he received about the Krafts cooking meth inside their home, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Allen Circuit Court. Wimpee, along with state social services, visited the home last year and obtained written permission from Letitia Kraft to search the home, where Wimpee found items used for smoking meth, including a glass pipe with suspected meth residue, according to court records.

On Monday, a “cooperating individual” not named in the search warrant told police that the Krafts and two other people cook meth three to four times a day inside the home, according to the affidavit. The Krafts cook the drug in the kitchen area, and the last time they cooked it was Saturday. Items used to cook the drug are kept in a large, pink bag like a lady’s purse, according to court records.

Letitia Kraft bought pseudoephedrine, the primary component used for manufacturing meth, at Rite Aid in Scottsville on June 9, court records showed.

Benjamin Kraft bought pseudoephedrine at drug stores in Lafayette, Tenn., according to court records. Lafayette is about 30 miles away from Scottsville.

On Tuesday, when Wimpee searched the home, he found about two grams of methamphetamine and items used to make the drug, according to court records.