A lengthy undercover investigation by the sheriff’s department resulted in 33 people being named in sealed indictments last week.
The indictments, handed down by a special called session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury on Aug. 19, have already resulted in the arrest of 26 individuals who will all appear in Criminal Court for arraignment on Sept. 16.
Among those indicted was Clayton Daniel Gott, 19, who was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor after an investigation allegedly revealed that he had hidden a video recorder in his bathroom in July to record a 16-year-old girl taking a shower.
According to the sheriff, the victim discovered the camera hidden in a toilet paper holder in the bathroom and authorities were notified.
When detectives questioned Gott about the incident, he allegedly admitted to recording the girl three times while she showered in the two-week period previous to the discovery.
“We charged him with sealed indictments, which are felony indictments,” said Sheriff Patrick Ray.
His bond was set at $30,000.
The months-long sting operation accounted for the remaining indictments.
“My drug detectives, along with some of the deputies, did controlled drug buys. Some of the drugs we bought were Dilaudid, crack cocaine, Hydrocodone, Xanax, Methadone, Morphine, Roxycodone, Percocet, mushrooms, and Suboxone,” the sheriff shared.
“We also found two marijuana grows, a meth lab, and some burglaries and thefts. There were a total of 33 individuals charged with various crimes,” Ray said.
The sheriff said the buys were conducted all over the county, from Alexandria to the White County line, and from Cookeville Highway to McMinnville Highway and Short Mountain Highway.
He also stressed that other agencies helped in the operation.
“We also had some help from the White County Sheriff's Department,” Ray said. “I contacted Sheriff Oddie Shoupe, and he gave me a couple of his drug detectives to assist us in some of the cases. The Alexandria Police Department went with us on a couple of cases.
“I want to thank Sheriff Shoupe of White County, and also Chief Mark Collins of the Alexandria Police Department, for helping us while working together to get some of the drugs off our streets,” said Ray.
The sheriff said that while meth is on the rise again locally, Dilaudid has become the primary problem.
“My department and others have found meth labs here in the county, but we're still seeing that the sale of prescription drugs is our number one drug problem,” he said. “Dilaudid is still a very abused drug here in DeKalb County. It is a pain drug that we see being sold out on the street,”
“My department and I are very committed to the investigation of the illegal sale of narcotics in our county,” said the sheriff. “If you have any information on any crime including drug crimes or burglaries and thefts, we urge you to call our crime tip line at 464-6400 to report it. You can be anonymous, or my number is 597-4935. You can call me here at the jail and we can talk about it.
“We receive a whole lot of tips, and I appreciate each and every one who calls and gives me some bit of drug information. I ask the citizens of our county to continue to be our eyes and ears in your communities. If you have any kind of problem like that we want to know about it. We'll try our best to work on it and see what we can get done.
“I want to commend my department on a job well done, especially my drug detectives and the deputies who were able to do the undercover controlled drug buys.”
Ray said his department is already preparing for another round.
“We have already started into our next phase to prepare for another one,” he said. “You'll be hearing about it shortly. We still have a few persons to pick up. We will be serving those indictments and announcing those as we get them.”
Individuals who have been arrested on the Sept. 16 indictments so far include:
•Brett Allen Anderson, 45 - two counts of sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Dilaudid & Morphine) and sale of an illegal drug in a drug free zone. His bond is $80,000.
•Joshua Lee Anderson, 22, - two counts of sale and delivery of a Schedule III drug (Hydrocodone). His bond is $40,000.
•Amanda Alice Atnip, 28, of Dowelltown - sale and delivery of a Schedule III drug (Hydrocodone). Her bond is $20,000.
•Brittany Danielle Barnes, 25, - two counts of sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (crack cocaine and dilaudid), and two counts of sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug in a drug free zone. Her bond is $100,000.
•Natalie Gail Barrett, 20, - sale and delivery of a Schedule I drug (Mushrooms). Her bond is $50,000.
•Gary Lane Hale, 39, - sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Morphine). His bond is $30,000.
•Kenny Ray Herman, 52, - sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Methadone). His bond is $30,000.
•Brittany Leanna Mingle, 22, of Liberty -two counts of sale and delivery of a Schedule IV drug (Xanax), and sale and delivery of a Schedule IV drug in a drug free zone. Her bond is $50,000.
•Amanda May Hicks, 32, - two counts of sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Dilaudid). Her bond is $60,000.
•Halton Wayne Hicks, 31, - sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Dilaudid). His bond is $30,000.
•Glenda Kay Lemons, 51, - sale and delivery of a Schedule III drug (Hydrocodone). Her bond is $20,000
•Lisa Michelle Porterfield,  36, of Dowelltown - sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Dilaudid) (1 count). Her bond is $30,000.
•Billy Joe Rigsby, 56, - sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Dilaudid). His bond is $30,000.
•Michael Andrew Snyders, 28, - sale and delivery of a Schedule III drug (Hydrocodone). His bond is $20,000.
•Theresa Dianna Tittle, 44, - sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Dilaudid). Her bond is $30,000.
•Marla Adele Turner, 44, - two counts of sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Dilaudid). Her bond is $60,000.
•Comer Thomas Vance, 43, - sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Dilaudid), and sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug in a drug free zone. His bond is $50,000.
•Melisha Renee Martin, 40, - two counts of sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug (Dilaudid), and two counts of sale and delivery of a Schedule II drug in a drug free zone. Her bond is $100,000.
•William Carl Fredrick, 27, of Dowelltown - manufacture of a Schedule VI drug (cultivating marijuana). His bond is $10,000.
•Stephen Jason Moore, 38 - manufacture of a Schedule VI drug (cultivating marijuana).
His bond is $20,000.
•Jeremy Austin Scruggs, 35, and 30 year old Brandon Jeromie Gurley - co-indicted on charges of initiation of a process to manufacture methamphetamine (meth lab). Bond for each is $50,000.
•Tony Eugene Beasley, 49, of Gallatin - aggravated burglary and theft of property. His bond is $30,000.
•Dakota James Stith, 21, - four counts of aggravated burglary and theft of property. His bond is $120,000.
David Dwight Caperton, 43, of Baxter - domestic assault. Ray said this case was presented to the Grand Jury by a private citizen and not the sheriff's department. His bond is $5,000.