Patrol arrests highlight drug activity along I-75 in Scott County

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office say drug patrols along I-75 yielded three arrests in a matter of hours.

"We do have 22 miles of interstate, I-75, and then several miles of I-64 that run through our jurisdiction," says Detective Eddie Hart. "I-75 is a major thoroughfare from the south to the north and the north to the south and we know that drugs are being transported from major cities to the north to cities south, as well as cities south to the north."

A post to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page says deputies conducted “high visibility drug interdiction patrols” on Tuesday, and says the results “demonstrate the amount of hazardous drugs moving through our county at any given time.”

"We targeted vehicles that had vehicle violations or careless driving and then after we had them stopped we also looked at are there other reasons these people are coming into our county,” says Detective Hart. “Are they transporting any drugs?"

Arrested in three separate traffic stops during the patrols were Amanda Dunaway, who was found with over three ounces of heroin on her, Charles Chenault, who had heroin hidden in fake soda cans, and Tracey Estepp, who was found with pills and cocaine wrapped up in a lottery ticket.

"This was just a snapshot of what goes on on the interstates here in Kentucky," says Detective Hart.

"Our primary focus is what goes on within our county, on our streets, in our neighborhoods but we do have to go out there and put a presence on these drug dealers and people traveling through the interstate."

The Scott County Sheriff says his office is “committed to locking up the drug dealers who use our roadways,” and hopes added pressure will motivate dealers to use another route that avoids Scott County entirely.

"It all helps, every little bit," says Detective Hart.