Former schoolteacher and church music director arrested in drug trafficking ring (TX)
Catherine
Drug task forces tackle drug ring
By Bill Hankins, The Paris News
Published September 20, 2007
Quietly, and without much fanfare, a multi-agency drug task force has
cleared Lamar County roads and streets of some of the most active
methamphetamine dealers of this decade.
In the process, they have seized several pounds of the drug, worth more than
$12,000 per pound on the street, more than 15 guns and a drug-related
vehicle.
The case involves 28 people arrested for various drug deals, 18 of them
indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to
manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. One suspect remains at large
after escaping from custody.
Seventeen of the indicted suspects have been transported to Sherman, where
they were turned over to the United States Marshals Services. All 17 have
had a detention hearing to determine if federal marshals would release them,
and all have been detained in federal holding facilities until disposition
of their cases.
One of the bigger players in the methamphetamine conspiracy is a former
school teacher and church music director in Lamar County.
The suspects have ties that reach to Dallas and northward to Oklahoma.
Lamar County Sheriff B.J. McCoy said, "The kicker here is we are getting a
lot of narcotics violators off the street, and it is not like state
punishment, where they get a lot of time credit. These people will do more
time in the federal system. That keeps them off the street longer and slows
down the drug trafficking."
The methamphetamine conspiracy case got its start with a single arrest of
two men by Sgt. Anson Amis, Lamar County Sheriff's Office narcotics
investigator, and Chris Brooks, District Attorney's Office investigator in
June of 2006.
The two investigators began researching previous arrests of the two and the
names of people with whom they had been associated.
Those arrests came when the Paris Police Department narcotics unit was
disbanded. When the police narcotics unit was put back into action, its
officers joined in the search going back years in the records to help
determine associates of people in past arrests and link up a network of drug
dealing.
In addition to the Sheriff's Office and Paris Police Department narcotics
investigators, Texas Department of Public Safety investigators and federal
agents, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
officers and U.S. Marshal's service became involved, helping track and
arrest known associates of those in custody.
Those indicted for conspiracy to possess with intent to manufacture and
distribute methamphetamine include Tracy Lawson Brown, Tony Edward Flatt,
Justin Kyle Foster, Brian Kirk Frazier, David Mark Hardy, Trey Gravan
Harvey, Quenton Huskins, Brittany Juanita Ingram, Bridgett Kay Johnson,
Talbert Dean Long, Anthony David Maroney, Chet Thomas Mauldin, Jimmy Larry
Mills, David Ryan Robison, Wesley Eugene Robison, Bryan Stephen Spann, Jason
Lloyd Thornton and Robert Gene Williams.
In addition to the drug charges, Harvey was charged with felon in possession
of a firearm; Thornton with unlawful user of a controlled substance in
possession of a firearm, and Maroney and Williams with possession of a
firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
"This investigation took some major methamphetamine traffickers into custody
and removed them from the street," Amis said.
In addition to the drugs, guns and vehicle, officers seized more than
$19,000 in cash during various arrests.
Of the suspects in the cases, many already had served state jail time and
some even had pending charges against them.
"We will likely make several more felony drug arrests before the
investigation is completed," Amis said.
During the investigation, officers were able to add many new names to the
list of possible suspects through surveillance and through the potential
suspects' association with the known drug dealers.
Many of those known associates still are being considered as suspects.
Several undercover operations were conducted during the investigation, and
overall almost 100 suspects arrested by various agencies during the
methamphetamine conspiracy probe.
One of those arrested in Lamar County, David Mark Hardy was a former teacher
at North Lamar Independent School District and had been a church music
director.
Amis said: "The problem is for everyone we took off the street, there are
people out there who already have taken their place in drug trafficking, but
the arrests put a big dent in the amount of methamphetamine brought into the
community."
Prior to their indictments, five of those arrested already had served time
on state felony drug convictions.
"Paris Police Department officers and sheriff's investigators worked as a
team doing a terrific job, and I could not be more proud of these boys
working for all of us," said McCoy.
Local officers involved in the investigation, in addition to Amis and
Brooks, were Sgt. Jeff Springer, Paris Police Department Narcotics;
Investigator Leigh Foreman, Paris Police Department Narcotics; Investigator
Shane Stone, Paris Police Department Narcotics; Investigator Tommy Moore,
Paris Police Department Crimes Unit; Investigator Doug Thompson, Paris
Police Department Felony Crimes Unit, and Sgt. Brian Perry, Texas Department
of Public Safety Narcotics Division.
During the combined operation, officers also made many arrests in two
different crack cocaine conspiracies.
"This investigation is continuing," said Amis. "Anyone who has information
about illegal drug dealing should report it to the U.S. Marshals Service at
903-868-2379."
Dickie
PREDOPHELIA!
You should do a Chris Hansen sting operation...you could pose as a 12
year old boy....
Oh, it'll be great!