Authorities have arrested 52 suspects in connection with a year-long methamphetamine investigation.
The investigation, which was code named Operation: Sundown, was conducted by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and Elizabethton Police Department Joint Drug Task Force. In total, 44 suspects were indicted in a grand jury presentment for conspiracy to sell or deliver methamphetamine, along with additional charges.
Officers with the CCSO, EPD, DEA, and Homeland Security all worked together in a round up operation August 20-21 to arrest the majority of the indicted suspects. They also seized more than $31,000 worth of methamphetamine, as well as other drug assets including money and vehicles. Authorities are still searching for six suspects in connection with the case.
In cooperation with the District Attorney’s Office, the CCSO and EPD will bring state charges against all the indicted suspects. The conspiracy drug charges carry minimum sentences of 15 years in prison. According to Sheriff Dexter Lunceford, such sentences will help disrupt the supply of methamphetamine in the county.
“We will never be able to completely stop all drug usage,” Lunceford said. “What we can do is disrupt the supply of illegal narcotics. This operation focused on arresting the meth dealers and their suppliers and preventing them from selling in future.”
Lunceford also explained that information provided by citizens is important to these types of investigations, even if it takes some time for arrests to be made.
“The tips citizens send me are not always enough to make a complete case,” Lunceford said. “But we combine each bit of information we get in a computer system, and when we eventually have enough evidence for an arrest, those people will disappear quietly. So please continue to send us whatever information you can.”
The six suspects who are still wanted are: Hayley Nicole Boyd, Kindra Lashae Campbell, Thomas Ray Cox Jr., Casilda Elizabeth Hernandez, John Andrew Register, and CW McCain Smith. If you have any information on the whereabouts of these suspects, you are asked to contact the Carter County Sheriff’s Office or Elizabethton Police Department.
Indicted Suspects Arrested/Detained
Osvaldo Aleman (46) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Kristin Dawn Bach (31) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Michael Paul Bailey (44) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Possessing a Firearm During Commission of a Felony, Unlawful Drug Paraphernalia, Manufacture, Delivery, or Sale of Methamphetamine
Melissa Rebecca Blackwell (46) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II (2x)
John Robert Blankenship (36) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Dave Charles Bowling (50) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II (2x), Violation of Probation
Christy Lynn Brandon (33) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II
Jeffrey Matthew Burchfield (27) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II (2x)
Angela Sue Campbell (45) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Schedule II Drug Violations (4x), Drug Free School Zone Enhancement
Misty Dawn Charlton (45) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II
Joshua Lee Cole (31) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Taylor Brooke Crowe (26) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Joshua Lee Curtis (28) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Dan Mass Digiacomo (29) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Samuel Lynn Drain (26) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Katie Nicole Gibson (34) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II (3x), Sale of Counterfeit Controlled Substance, Theft of Property $1,000 or Less
Tasha Nicole Hale (32) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Amy Christine Harper (41) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Steven Blake Bailey Heller (34) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Brandy Danyelle Hilton (37) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II in a Drug Free School Zone, Possession of Schedule II with Intent to Sell or Deliver, Possession of Schedule IV with Intent to Sell or Deliver, Maintaining a Dwelling Where Narcotics Are Sold, Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Dangerous Felony, Possession of a Firearm During Commission/Attempt to Commit a Felony, Unlawful Drug Paraphernalia, Manufacture, Sale, or Delivery of Schedule II
Shea Kristen Holly (30) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II
Brandon Keith Lewis (32) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Manufacture, Delivery, Sale, or Possession of Methamphetamine
Gregory Scott Mann (44) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II (3x)
Fabian Aundra Miller (29) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
James Terry Pierce (32) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Jonathan Robert Potter (27) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Nicholas Wayne Richardson – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Jared Cameron Shepardson (34) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Possession of Schedule II with Intent to Sell or Deliver, Maintaining Dwelling Where Narcotics Are Sold
Hutch Freddie Lee Sims (21) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Larry Edward Stapleton Jr. (27) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II (2x), Drug Free School Zone Enhancement, Promotion of Manufacture, Sale, or Delivery of Methamphetamine
Dana Nichole Starnes (39) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II
Richard Alan Stout (41) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II (2x)
Melissa Dawn Stout (51) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Sale of Schedule II
Taylor Lashae Vestal (21) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Michael Shane Walker (34) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver
Shannon Glenn Warren (40) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Possessing a Firearm During Commission/Attempt to Commit a Felony, Simple Possession/Casual Exchange, Unlawful Drug Paraphernalia, Fabricating/Tampering with Evidence, Unlawful Possession without a Prescription, Schedule I Drug Violations, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Manufacture, Delivery, or Sale of Meth
Brandy Nicole Wellman (33) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver, Manufacture, Delivery, or Sale of Methamphetamine
Trisha Lynn Williamson (29) – Conspiracy to Possess Meth 300 G. or More w/ Intent to Sell or Deliver