Eleven Arrested In Drug Round-Up, More Arrests Expected

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Posted: 4:46 PM Aug 25, 2008
Last Updated: 4:46 PM Aug 25, 2008

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BARBOURVILLE – A five-month undercover investigation by Operation UNITE into illegal drug trafficking in Knox County resulted in 23 indictment warrants last week.

Law enforcement officials attempted to serve the warrants during a roundup conducted Monday, August 25, but apparently those being sought had advanced knowledge of the operation.

“Even before our officers had the indictment warrants in hand, people were turning themselves in,” said Karen Engle, president/CEO of UNITE. “It’s very disappointing that this information was made available ahead of time.”

“Thankfully nobody got hurt while attempting to serve arrest warrants today,” Engle continued. “When you go to someone’s house and they know you’re coming, it compromises the officers’ safety.”

Most of the cases resulting from the investigation involved the illegal sale of Hydrocodone, Oxycodone and Suboxone pills, UNITE officials said.

Assisting with Monday’s roundup were officers from the Barbourville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Kentucky State Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Those who have been arrested in connection with the investigation through Monday afternoon are:

• Sonny Brock, age 72, Yellow Pine Road, Flat Lick, three counts second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and two counts second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Mike Carr, age 39, Brian Drive, Corbin, three counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Emmanuel Lee Collins, age 30, Coal Port Road, Artemus, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Stacey Cox, age 43, Geneva Lane Drive, Artemus, three counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Millard A. Davenport, age 58, T. Run Branch Road, Artemus, two counts second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Frank D. Hamilton, age 29, Coon Branch Cemetery Road, Barbourville, three counts second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Franklin Hammons, age 38, Tea Run Hollow, Artemus, three counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Troy Partin Jr., age 39, Warren Camp Road, Barbourville, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and two counts second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Johnny “Hook” Roark, age 62, Coal Port Road, Artemus, second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and second-degree conspiracy to traffic in a controlled substance.

• Jeremy Smith, age 29, Wendall Lane, Barbourville, first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

• Josh Ryan Smith, age 24, Bradley Martin Lane, Barbourville, two counts first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

For more information about Operation UNITE visit their website at www.operationunite.org.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Court House and Drug Dealers UNITE!! Location: formerly of Knox Co. on Aug 28, 2008 at 10:12 PM
Oh what a surprise!! Almost all of those goobers arrested have been arrested before for the same thing. Now what? Do something already!!Send them to prison, get them off the streets and stop waisting our tax dollars watching them because you already know they are dealers!! Pee or get off the Pot!! It is a never ending cycle, arrest the drug dealer and then they walk. The canary in the court house needs to have their wings clipped so they cant fly again!!

Posted by: where in the world is the states attorney general?? Location: when are we gonna get protection from the crooks of this county?? on Aug 28, 2008 at 06:19 PM
Finally Manchester was cleaned out! Now knox needs a good cleaning.$!.! People in offices designed to uplift the community who strip it clean of all its funds...to rid it of drugs.LOL...by the same offices & allowing them to know and rid them selves of drugs before they are arrested and turn themselves into the law to continue teaching our students in our schools(go unite)maybe we should give more in donations Knox u know for all the activities they do to RID our community..LOL

Posted by: Mike Location: Hartford Conneticut on Aug 27, 2008 at 06:51 PM
I hit send to soon. So I think law enforcment, jail, prisons, half way houses, and community corrections has it's role in the war on illicit drugs. As I mentioned in my previous post education alone does not work. Dangerous people and that can include drug users, who kill for their next fix, drug dealers, and a host of others need to be locked up. I never thought our country would spend more money on education than any other country but we do. That disproves you people who say education alone is the answer. I believe you educate, incarcerate, and go after criminals with every legal tool you have. Finally we have to face a harsh reality. We will always have social ills like drugs, murder and other societal miseries. I do feel sorry for drug addicts and I empathize with their pain. Especially those drug addicts who would not hurt people even to feed their addictions. I do want to help but I found those most successful at rehab are those who really want to help themselves.

Posted by: Mike Location: Hartford Conneticut on Aug 27, 2008 at 06:42 PM
Education by it's self is not the answer Danny! If it were the answer then there would be no drug problem. America spends more money, public and private, on education than any other country in the world! The World! We literally throw money at education yet you have these social ills like illicit drug use. So don't throw me the over used line of we need more education. We have education we have anti-drug programs in schools all across this nation. So I submit to you that education is not the lone answer we all seek. In fact we may never fully cure our social ills but I do know this, Prison keeps killers, and drug users kill, off the streets

Posted by: Michel Location: Pikeville on Aug 27, 2008 at 12:34 AM
Does anyone know what education means? A teacher now plays so many roles: role model, parent, educator, disciplinarian, counselor, etc. Teachers go unrecognized for their significant impact on our children. Teachers establish these many roles before they can teach. Most say that teachers "have it made" with summers off...during the school year, teachers work so hard in so many ways to bring success to each and every child in some form and they spend their summers preparing for the upcoming schoolyear. Appreciate our teachers!!!

Posted by: Mammy Location: London on Aug 27, 2008 at 12:19 AM
Stop the demand? I think there will always be a demand. I know someone precious to me who was very educated about drugs and ended up chosing them later in her adult life anyway. I think we need to cut off supply. Make the supply so very limited that the drugs become so expensive the addicts can't afford to indulge even if they manage to find someone who has them for sale. I know, I know, crime will go up, they'll be more home break-ins, more thefts, more violence from the addicts trying to get money to buy their drugs, but then somehow I think it's easier to lock a thief and keep them locked up than it is to keep trying to get these addicts and dealers off the streets.

Posted by: rob on Aug 26, 2008 at 06:44 PM
shouldt mr smiths charge include within 1000 yards of a school?

Posted by: Danny Location: Stephen Trace on Aug 26, 2008 at 06:38 PM
More education jail is not the answer.

Posted by: Dewane Location: Netherlands on Aug 26, 2008 at 05:35 PM
Well I have lived in the Netherlands for years and I want to make one thing clear! Most people believe Illicit Drugs are legal here but there wrong. Marijuana is legal and thats it! It is a fact that hard drugs are a danger to society. People sale their children, murder their neighbors, and loose all common sense when they have to feed their addiction. They will kill you for the 20 dollars it takes to buy their next fix. So to those of you who say America's drug policy is a failure then I ask you what is the Answer? You complain and complain about the failure but you offer no real answer. You say legalize drugs and you misrepresent my country, the Netherlands, as an example of a country who legalized drugs. Well thats false because if you legalize illicit drugs then you are dooming a whole class of citizens, the poor, to dependency, violence, and death. For the most part it is the poor who suffer. So do research and stop complaining and find workable solutions. Good Day!

Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 26, 2008 at 05:20 PM
To the distressed citizen- yes someone did know about the warrents and arrests. But we all know it came from the court house. Why does the sheriff's officers visit drug locations and come out empty handed ? Is it to collect pay ? I have called the tip line so much that i am ashamed to say that it also is a joke, and so is Unite. The only arrests made are the little people while the real ones sits back and gets fatter. And yes the jails are full of the wrong people, also people who need medication can't get it,but the Dr's will write it for the drug dealers even tho they have been reported time after time. The dr's office needs records pulled and this will stop some of this from getting on the streets.Oxycotins so easy to get a child could get them also people who run to Georgia to the methodone clinic are getting rich. How can someone drawing SSI buy 2- homes and build a new one and ride a cadillac ???? I say let's have a REAL WAR ON DRUGS and get the right one

Posted by: jason Location: Jackson on Aug 26, 2008 at 01:39 PM
And their family and friends will replace them tonight---------we have to stop the demand before the supply can end, it's called education.

Posted by: Jake Location: Hinkle on Aug 26, 2008 at 10:57 AM
Take away the licenses of the docs who are prescribing these drugs!

Posted by: Concerned Citizen Location: Knox county on Aug 26, 2008 at 10:36 AM
What is the World coming too? If we cant DEPEND on our teachers to keep our children safe!!! Then why Subject our children to this enviroment!!! The school board tests our kids for drugs why not check YOUR TEACHERS... MR.HULETT or at least check for any crimmal background before hiring them!!! or bring drug sniffing dogs to check the school primisses for drugs in and out of the school ...please consider this form of action ...for the sake of all of our counties children I think all the parents will agree this would be best ...

Posted by: Bill on Aug 26, 2008 at 07:58 AM
I wonder how long this miscarrige of justice will go on.We are locking more people then the state can feed,or house.All for a failed drug poicy.This thing is feeding on its self,more people hired and more folks jailed.For what more of the same every day??

Posted by: biller ray williams Location: perry on Aug 25, 2008 at 10:10 PM
hazard

Posted by: Against Drug Dealing Teachers Location: Knox County on Aug 25, 2008 at 07:53 PM
Don't you think that people should be made aware that the Jeremy Smith is a high school teacher in Knox County.

Posted by: DESTRESSED CITIZINE Location: KNOX CO on Aug 25, 2008 at 06:56 PM
I WOULD LIKE FOR THE PEOPLE TO START LISTING AN WATCHING, THE PEOPLE THAT IS BACKING AN SUPORTING THE ELECTIONS, WATCH ALL THE DRUG DEALERS A BOOTLEGERS, IF THEY ARE SUPORTING AN SUPORTING HARD, BE AWARE, BE VERY AWARE,WHY DO YOU THING THEY ARE WORKING SO HARD TO GET CERTIN PEOPLE IN OFFICE,I KNOW I WILL NOT VOTE FOR A MAN WHO CAN BE INFLUNCED BY THESE PEOPLE, WHO KNOWS ANYONE OF US AT ANY TIME MAY HAVE A PROBLEM AN END UP IN THE CORT SYSTEM, WHO DO YOU WOANT TO DECIDE WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER, I WOANT TO BE TREATED FAIR, I WOANT ANY FAMILY,FRIEND TO BE TREATED FAIR, BUT IF WE VOTE THESE PEOPLE IN WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE TREATED FAIR,AN WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO WATCH,AN LISTEN,OUR VOTE DOES COUNT, BUT SO DOES THEIRS,KNOX CO HAS HAD SOME VERRY DISHOUNOURABLE PEOPLE IN OFFICE ,AN UNFORTUNITE STILL DO ,AN WILL IF PEOPLE DONT WATCH AN THINK, AGAIN JUST WATCH WHO IS SUPORTING THE OFFICALS,YOU MAY BE SHOCKED,BUT LOOK TODAY HOW DO YOU THINK THE DRUG DEALERS KNEW ABOUT THE WARENTS ??

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