Ten Arrested In Sullivan County Drug Sting
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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
I feel for the Mothers of these people arrested as stated in the comment before,but longer incarceration for these people is not the answer ans has never been the answer.A large population in our society suffers from addiction of different sorts,drugs and alcohol.Long sentences mean nothing if we are not willing to provide these people with rehabilitation,and right now our system does not provide enough of that.We see every week in our local news addicts being arrested and indicted,but no real amount of drugs taking off the streets,lets get it right now,this to me is just keeping tax dollars in our judiciary system while the economy is falling apart,I can’t really praise anyone right now,because I haven’t really seen a significant amount of drugs in the paper that has been seized,have you?Last week in Bristol,Virginia,it was one person with selling two pills or one with a small amount of cocaine.Put all together in all 70 or so indictments and it would barely fill two or three pill bottles.Lets see more doctors put away,or the really big fish that has control over cocaine coming into our area.If you lock away one of these junkies for 20 years without rehab,it want change the person one bit.Society is to ready to receive quick solutions without really thinking through is it the right answer.Next we will be asked to pay for a bigger jail again,I say lets put some of these people to work for the county and not under it.Allot of good Christian people feel the same as I do,not quik to pass their own quick judgment and put people away for allot of years without a road to recovery to take,Thank You.
Keep up the GOOD WORK, Tri Cities is getting bad for drug dealing, I would like to see everyone that deals or takes, put behind bars. Several Mobile Home Parks in Sullivan County on Weaver Pike, needs to be put out of business, most of the people living in them are dealing HEAVY!!WAY TO GO SULLIVAN COUNTY SHERIFF DEPT.
Unfortunately, I know Potter and Hillard.
Their mom and I have been friends for years and she’s a good lady. These two have been in so much trouble and been in jail so many times, but the jail time doesn’t seem to phase them. I don’t know what it will take to get through to some of these people, but they all need longer sentences than some of them are getting. No more playing games now. Court system, are you listening? We’re getting fed up with these buggers getting turned loose to do it again and again.
Punish them!!!! A slap on the wrist will do no good.
Way to go Sullivan County!!!! Just a few more drugs off the streets and a few more scum bags in jail!!!!
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