Ten Arrested In Sullivan County Drug Sting
Sullivan County Drug Investigation
Sullivan County Drug Investigation
Associated Press Graphic
Mac McLean/ Bristol Herald Courier and Heather Seay/ TriCities.com contributed to this article.
Published: June 2, 2009
Updated: June 2, 2009
Brothers Michael Potter and Stephen Hillard were the subjects of a year-long investigation into the distribution of marijuana, cocaine and hydrocodone in the Tri-Cities area.
Today, a total of ten people are facing a total of 58 drug charges for their involvement in what Sullivan County Sheriff Wayne Anderson described this morning as a local ring of mid-level drug dealers under investigation for several months.
Anderson said the ring was led by half brothers Stephen Hillard, of Bluff City, Tenn., and Michael Potter, of Elizabethton, Tenn. The Sheriff’s Office learned about the operation after Bristol, Va., police pulled Potter over in a traffic stop in January and found him with 10 ounces of marijuana, Anderson said during a news conference.
“They’ve been selling drugs for a long time,” Anderson said of the brothers.
A county grand jury recently handed down the indictments, which include charges ranging from possession of cocaine and hydrocodone to conspiracy to deliver 10 pounds of marijuana. More charges are expected to be presented to the Sullivan County and Carter County Grand Juries at a later date.
Below is a list of those who were charged in the investigation and the charges placed, for photos, click on their name.
April Barber aka April Smith, 710 VI Ranch Rd. Bristol, Tenn.
CHARGES: Possession of Cocaine for Resale, Possession of Marijuana for Resale, Possession of Hydrocodone for Resale, Maintaining a Dwelling where Narcotics are Sold and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Brian Scott Smith, 710 VI Ranch Rd. Bristol, Tenn.
CHARGES: Possession of Cocaine for Resale,Possession of Marijuana for Resale,Possession of Hydrocodone for Resale, Maintaining a Dwelling where Narcotics are Sold and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Joshua Carl Posey, 732 Saxon Mattox Rd. Carlton Ga.
CHARGES: Possession of Hydrocodone for Resale, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Eric Walter Eads aka Rocko, 143 Valley Pike Rd. Bristol Tenn.
CHARGES: Two counts of Sale and Delivery of Cocaine
Michael Potter, 114 Davis Hollow Rd. Apartment 6 Elizabethton, Tenn.
CHARGES: Four Counts of Sale and Delivery of Marijuana, Four Counts of Sale and Delivery of Cocaine, Conspiracy to Deliver over ½ a gram of Cocaine, Conspiracy to Deliver over 10 lbs of Marijuana, Other charges pending in Washington County, Va. and Carter County Tenn.
Robert Wayne Frazier, 400 Turner Rd. Kingsport Tenn.
CHARGES: Four Counts of Sale and Delivery of Marijuana, Four Counts of Sale and Delivery of Cocaine, Conspiracy to Deliver over ½ a gram of Cocaine, Conspiracy to Deliver over 10 lbs of Marijuana, Maintaining a Dwelling where Narcotics are Sold
Stephen Cleveland, 330 Godsey Rd. Apartment 42 Bristol Tenn.
CHARGES: Possession of over 10 lbs of marijuana for Resale, Two counts of sale and delivery of Marijuana, Sale and Delivery of Cocaine
Steven Alan Hillard, 1168 Weaver Branch Rd. Bluff City Tenn.
CHARGES: Conspiracy to Deliver over 10 lbs of Marijuana, Sale of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Sale of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Delivery of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Delivery of over ½ ounce of Marijuana
Tracy McClellan Potter, 710 Ethel Beard Rd. Blountville Tenn.
CHARGES: . Conspiracy to Deliver over 10 lbs of Marijuana, Sale of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Sale of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Sale of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Sale of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Delivery of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Delivery of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Delivery of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Delivery of over ½ ounce of Marijuana
Jimmy L. Rogers, 301 Cypress St. Bristol, Tenn.
CHARGES: Conspiracy to Deliver over 10 lbs of Marijuana, Sale of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Sale of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Delivery of over ½ ounce of Marijuana, Delivery of over ½ ounce of Marijuana
During the investigation, officers executed three search warrants at 330 Godsey Rd. Bristol, Tennessee, 524 Buncombe Rd. Blountville, Tennessee and 710 VI Ranch Rd. Bristol, Tennessee.
Officers also made numerous controlled purchases of cocaine and marijuana from the suspects during the investigation.
They seized more than 6,500 grams of marijuana, 100 grams of cocaine, 1000 hydrocodone pills, more than $6700.00 in cash and four vehicles in the investigation.
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Reader Reactions
Ye generation of Hypocrites,Who warned you of flee from the wrath of God?And I will say in that day,“I never knew you,depart from me.“Listen to you all,every word you say is hateful and condescending.More full of hate than the will to help,how many times does the Lord say to forgive your Brother?Look it up.
FOR GENERAL LEE Male female does not make 1 difference ugly-pretty you can’t sit there and tell me tracy is not as guilty cause u think she is pretty…If you think like that and see pretty in that then you need to either get glasses or be put on drugs for that cause looks like she was to busy selling drugs to wash her hair well she probably was not making enough money to buy shampoo and she was just middle man and rather big dog or the little dog if your are selling drugs to someone all it does is hurt and ruin lives cause not only dealer facing jail time and missing life the people that are addicted are pittiful cause drugs have already taken over their life and you to sell and take away from it even more…How could a seller make it thru the day knowing they sell people death cause they are to lazy to get a “REAL JOB” Im just glad to see that this problem is not just in the ghetto so all you single moms that try to raise kid right but are right in the middle cause you cant do any better dont fell bad cause I pay over $600/month rent and several are up road from me so at least your rent is only $50 or less
Rehab is a great idea, FOR SOME!! Rehab has helped (saved) thousands of people, and for that we should be thankful.
However, there are many who go through rehab multiple times, then go right back to it. I think the bottom line is this: One has to WANT to be helped before the rehab can work effectively. How many go through the motions, show up for all the meetings, and say all the right words, simply to beat the system? The system needs to draw the line somewhere other than whee it’s drawing it now. If there are no, or few, consequences, people will keep on and on and on and on and on…........
You are right, that is the only reason I feel sorry for her, and not for the others. So what? As to drug addicts being good people, I agree it can happen, but this bust was not Lortab given to an injured woman who didn’t quit after a couple of weeks. I guess I don’t understand your point, but thanks for sharing.
First, to General Lee: You feel sorriest for Tracy because she looks like she might be attractive? What?!!!!! Oh I forget, its only the “pretty people” in this world who matter. Let’s forget she’s as guilty as the others and possibly has the worst character, as long as she’s pretty.
Second, to Casper: Go to h-e-double hockey sticks. I am the child of a FORMER drug addict. I’ve never been a drug abuser, unless you want to count the few times I smoked marijuana as a teenager. Then, I guess you can hang me too. My mother was addicted to pain killers after being prescribed them by her doctor many years ago. After the doctor saw what was happening he immediately stopped prescribing them and my mother stooped to lower levels to obtain them. Although he saw she was addicted, he never even suggested rehabilitation. In her mind, she needed them and couldn’t function without them. It took three years before she saw the pain she was causing herself and her family, but she cleaned up and never fell off the wagon. That was sixteen years ago. Oh, and never once has she or I been on your taxes. Drug addicts and dealers come from all walks of life. Do a little research and you may find your bigoted opinions change a bit.
It is amazing to me the sick freaks that get a slap on the hand. Why does government let the cycle continue? These are children of loser’s !They are on my taxes and need to be hung. Rehab does not help idiots and never helped the parents of such idiots! I pray my child will never run into the offspring of these losers… GET OFF MY TAXES…... Hang them ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET MORE>
GO SULLIVAN COUNTY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sullivan County, know there are more and more developing daily. We need to stop this activity, before it ruins the MINDS of more youth. I find it amusing to watch a drug addicted person talk or their actions.
An addict is blind, really, in the sense that he can’t see beyond his need to use drugs.
What that means in practical terms is that very few drug addicts ever recognize the unhealthy symptoms of drug abuse in themselves.
I feel sorriest for Tracy. She looks like she could be an attractive young lady. The rest of these folks look like freaks! You would think that a big drug deal would have paid for a decent haircut. They won’t need to do anything to fit in once they get to prison.
Congratulations to the cops. if you best enough of them, eventually they will leave Bristol for Elizabethton. Keep up the good work! Can I make a donation to some sort of campaign to bust more of these folks?
No, you’re the only one.
The small amounts I referred to was previous drug busts in the past 6 months,and no I don’t believe this is the final answer to this problem.Instead of just saying we did what we could do maybe we need better rehabs instead of giving up on them.Locking away people for long periods of time like animals,I feel makes animals out of this people.And where did this 10 pounds of dope come from?there has to be more,right?and your just going to say victory?Just think what your tax dollars may do instead of making bigger and more secure prisons,make these what you may say a waste of time rehabs better.And you are wrong about these people being strictly drug dealers,I know,i have worked with these people in the past.Most of these people sell drugs to keep up the expensive habit of abusing drugs themselves,reality.And also put your thoughts here on this,I have worked with so many families that never thought that one of their own would ever abuse and or sell drugs.As your own,don’t you believe everyone deserves a second or even a third chance?I just don’t believe the direction that our justice system has for a long time chose to take is working.I also support a change in cocaine and crack sentencing that often puts people away longer when we are talking about the same drug,targeting minorities.Cocaine doesn’t grow here,go after the real criminals,the ones that allow these drugs to come into our country,and the doctors that write these prescriptions for patients for narcotics for profit.In my life here in the tri-cites,the drug problem has only got worse,maybe we need a change in our Sheriff’s office’s.Who supports that?I wonder if there is anyone out there that feels the same as I do?
billbill…honey you might want to recheck this article. These people were resaling drugs. More than one was charged with intent to distribute over 10 POUNDS of weed. How much is a small amount? I consider this quite a big arrest and these people were dealing a large amount of drugs, to include prescription drugs that were most likely paid for by medicaid. i.e. you and me. How many pills does one have to sell to be a drug dealer, how many teenagers have to die from prescription drugs, how many teenagers have to be using these drugs for it to be a horrible crime. These guys don’t need rehab…they need to be locked up for a very long time. As the previous poster stated the ones she knew had been arrested numerous times. As a general rule the first time someone is arrested for drugs they are offered rehab if they are a user, they have to be open to getting clean, we have paid for rehab for these people over and over and I would just as soons pay for them to be in jail than to keep letting them out and sending them to worthless rehab that they have no interest in.
And actually dealers usually are not users, you don’t use up your profits if you are going to be a profitable drug dealer…what do we do with them? Send them to business school to learn a new business to deal in?
It is time we quit smacking hands and get tough on these people, make them an example and put and end to this nonsense.



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