Published: April 18, 2008 09:25 pm      

Police, task force arrest 17, are still seeking 4 in drug bust

WELCH — Seventeen people were arrested Friday on drug-related charges and officials were still searching for another four as part of an operation by the McDowell County Sheriff’s Department and the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force.

The 17 individuals were arrested on varied counts of delivery of controlled substances, Sheriff Danny Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the arrests were the result of an ongoing investigation by the sheriff’s department and the task force, and involved everything from oxycodone and hydrocodone to marijuana.

“Everything so far has went very well,” Mitchell said. “Everybody was arrested without incident. We are still looking for four more. Hopefully, we will have them by the end of the weekend.”

Mitchell said the majority of the arrests were made in the Panther to Iaeger area, as well as the Big Creek District and War. Mitchell said the sheriff’s department and the task force has been able to make about 190 felony drug arrests since January of last year thanks to help from the community.

“It’s not just us,” Mitchell said. “It is us and the communities working together. They are providing us with the information. Because there is no way we could do it ourselves. It takes us working together with the communities. Hopefully, we will continue to have success.”

Mitchell said all 17 individuals were arraigned with bond being set in magistrate court. Mitchell said those who didn’t make bond were placed in the county’s holding facility and then transferred to the Southwestern Regional Jail in Logan.

Mitchell said those arrested and charged Friday with the delivery of controlled substances were:

Ralph Dotson, 40, of Bull Creek

Scotty Justice, 25, of Panther

Mark Bailey, 37, of Panther

Danny Bailey, 35, of Panther

Herbert Justice, 46, of Panther

Mary Coleman, 31, of Panther

Earl Coleman, 37, of Panther

Keith Kennedy, 31, of Panther

Marty Crabtree, 34, of Panther

Michael Cline, 47, of Panther

Dewayne Payne, 27, of War

Lewis Hunley, 25, of War

Jonathan Potter, 21, of Canebreak

Brenda Shelton, 41, of War

Phebe Scott, 42, of Canebreak

Mitchell said two other individuals, Graham Akers and Adam Blankenship, age and addresses unavailable, were already incarcerated on unrelated charges.

The Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force is composed of the McDowell County Sheriff’s Department, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department, the Bluefield Police Department, the Princeton Police Department and the West Virginia State Police in Welch and Princeton.,

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com