Police arrest 20 in raid
By John Joyce
Published in News on August 22, 2013 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
A Goldsboro police officer escorts two handcuffed suspects into the Wayne County Courthouse on Wednesday. Police held a citywide sweep on suspected drug dealers, making 20 arrests with more expected. Officials said the raids are the culmination of a three-month investigation into drug trafficking in the city.
A coordinated drug sweep conducted by the Goldsboro/Wayne County Drug Squad and other agencies resulted in 20 drug-related arrests across the city Wednesday.
Fifteen additional suspects remain at large.
Officials are calling Wednesday's operation a "roundup," the culmination of a three-month investigation spearheaded by the Goldsboro Police Department.
Drug sales by the suspects to undercover officers were recorded.
Many of the suspects had drugs in their possession at the time of their arrest. Police recovered marijuana, crack and methamphetamines in varying amounts.
The sweep began about midday and carried on until after 5 p.m.
Unmarked police cars and SUVs pulled up outside the Magistrate's Office at the Wayne County Courthouse throughout the day.
Uniformed officers and plain clothes investigators wearing tactical vests unloaded as many as three suspects at a time and brought them in for booking.
Some of them were silent, others resisted either verbally, physically or by trying to conceal drugs on their person.
A suspect known on the street as "Goldmouth" was one of those who allegedly resisted.
Latique Lamont Vick, 27, 918 Evergreen Ave., nabbed initially on drug charges, wound up getting tasered and charged with resisting arrest and possession of a controlled substance on jail premises when he tried to flush a piece of crack while being processed into the Wayne County Jail, according to an officer who witnessed the incident.
Vick was one of two, out of the 20 arrested, to be "thrown in the hole," the officer said.
As many as 35 drug dealers were identified throughout the course of the investigation initiated by community complaints of drug activity in areas throughout the city and county.
"We're talking about street level guys, not the one's bringing it in but the ones out there selling it in the community," GPD's head of investigations Maj. Alton King said Wednesday.
Goldsboro police Chief Jeff Stewart coordinated efforts with Wayne County Sheriff Carey Winders, Mount Olive police Chief Brian Rhodes and Fremont police Chief Paul Moates. The Wayne County Detention Center was also credited for its assistance.
"This was all complaint-driven -- citizens expressing their concerns," Stewart said.
Bail bondsmen waited inside the Magistrate's Office working out the release of many of the suspects. Coreen Hagens of Caleb Bail Bonds bonded out 10 of the suspects arrested Wednesday. Jammaal Bass of ABM Bail Bonds posted bond for four.
"I did a $20,000 bond, two $8,000 bonds and one for $9,000," Bass said. These types of drug dealer dragnets used to take place once or twice a year, but since the jail has been so packed the last year or more, there have not been any in a while, he said.
Bass is not convinced the sweeps have a lasting impact because the guys that tend to get caught in the nets are already felons who have a difficult time finding work to begin with.
"When jobs are scarce and a lot of these guys are felons ... so the feel they'll just do what they have to do to get by and if they only get caught once every five years, that's worth the money to them," Bass said.
THE CHARGES:
* Reginald Devon Wynn, 19, 317 Brentwood Drive, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, and conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana, $5,000 secured bond.
* Tony Paul Young, 37, 129 Mill Creek Road, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, $5,000 secured bond.
* Gary Pigford Jr., 31, address unknown, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana, $16,000 secured bond.
* Christopher Robinson, 25, address unknown, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell cocaine, conspiracy to sell cocaine, $9,000 secured bond.
* Montrelvis Torquez Rodgers, 25, 509 King Drive, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, conspiracy to sell marijuana, $8,000 secure bond.
* Jerron Lamar Russell, 24, 308 Workman St., possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, $2,500 secured bond.
* Latique Lamont Vick, 27, 918 Evergreen Ave., possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, resisting, possession of a controlled substance on jail premises, $13,200 secured bond
* Brian Christopher Wynn, 36, 1512 Hart Circle, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, conspiracy to sell cocaine, $5,500 secured bond.
* Charles Edward Faison, 49, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, $20,000 secured bond.
* Leslie Tenelle Hines, 31, 414 N. Virginia St., possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, $2,000 secured bond.
* Tyron Kasheem Jones, 23, 330 W. Pine St., possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, $6,000 secured bond.
* Jolly James Leach Jr., 41, 406 S. Church St., possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, maintaining a dwelling, conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana, $25,000 secured bond.
* Terry Lorenzo Moore Jr., 21, 2631 Emmaus Church Road, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, $10,000 secured bond.
* Jonathan Oneal Jr., 23, 419 Seymour Drive, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, $4,500 secured bond.
* Rueben Knowles Armstrong, 48, 1063 Norman St., possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, carrying a concealed weapon, $11,000 secured bond.
* Lequan Foranta Battle, 26, 509 Dail St., possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, $3,500 secure bond.
* Joquinn Arkee Artis, 21, 410 N. Carolina St., possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, conspiracy to sell and deliver cocaine, $5,500 secured bond.
* Demarco Devon Boykin, 26, 404 E. Kornegay St., trafficking in opiates, $300,000 secured bond.
* James Nathan Crawford Jr., 18, 1713 S. Slocumb St., possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, sell and deliver marijuana, conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana, $22,000 secured bond.
* Marquail Jamel Brodie, 27, address unknown, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, $5,000 secured bond.