HUMBOLDT, Tenn. (AP) — Police in Tennessee say they were able to foil a murder-for-hire plot hours before the killing was to take place.

A statement from the West Tennessee Drug Task Force says agents received information Feb. 6 that 43-year-old Stephen Taylor of Murfreesboro had hired 22-year-old Gregory Barnes to kill a Murfreesboro man who was a potential witness against Taylor in Rutherford County Circuit Court on Feb. 8.

Agents worked with other police agencies to take the intended victim into protective custody, then arrested Taylor and Barnes. Both are charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Investigators say Taylor and Barnes came up with the plot while serving a weekend sentence at the Gibson County jail. The investigation shows Taylor provided Barnes with details on how to locate and identify the man.

It wasn’t clear whether they have attorneys.