LOWNDES COUNTY –Eight suspects were arrested Thursday after Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on a Columbus home, where suspects allegedly tried to flush meth down a toilet.
The arrests were made as part of an ongoing drug distribution investigation centered on a residence at 10759 Hwy 45 North in Columbus. Deputies conducted multiple traffic stops on suspects who were allegedly seen obtaining drugs at the house, Sheriff Eddie Hawkins told The Dispatch.
During the traffic stops on Thursday, Allen Pickens, 54, Misty Dykes, 48, and Candace Holloway, 34, were arrested and each charged with one felony count of possession of methamphetamine, a sheriff’s office press release said.
LCSO’s STING Unit conducted a search warrant at the home, and agents found significant amounts of methamphetamine and suspects allegedly trying to flush most of it down a toilet, Hawkins told The Dispatch.
“The majority of the meth was destroyed by them flushing it down the toilet before we could get in the house, but we did recover some inside the residence,” Hawkins said. “… It was a felony amount of meth, so it wasn’t a significant amount that we recovered, but it was … enough to bring charges on the individuals.”
Five suspects were arrested at the residence. David Wooten, 49, was charged with one felony count of sale of a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a weapon by a felon and one count of child abuse. Javaris Johnson, 41, was charged with one count of weapon possession by a felon. Chelsea Fouts, 35, and Ashley Smith, 28, were each charged with one felony count of possession of methamphetamine. Brandon Reeves, 31, was charged with a felony count of sale of a controlled substance.
During the search, a two-year-old child was also found at the home. Hawkins said Child Protective Services was contacted regarding the issue and is conducting a separate investigation.
“We have protocols when we find children in a house that’s full of drugs like that,” he said. “We have to call Child Protective Services to come and do an investigation. … And I don’t know what the status is of that case, and if the child has been removed from the custody of the mother.”
All suspects are being held at Lowndes County Adult Detention Center. Pickens’ bond is set at $10,000, and Wooten’s bond was set at $200,000. Johnson and Reeves each had bonds set at $50,000. Dykes, Holloway, Fouts and Smith each have bonds set at $7,500.
LCSO’s investigation is ongoing and additional arrests and charges are possible, Hawkins said.
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