Grand Jury indicts 18

In a busy month for the McCreary County Grand Jury indictments against 18 individuals were returned, with drug trafficking charges against 8 of the accused.

Joyce Good (AKA Watson), of Stearns was named in three separate indictments in relation to a November investigation into possible drug trafficking activity.

The first indictment charges Good with three counts of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree, one count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and one count of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Precursors for allegedly having over 2 grams of methamphetamine, over 10 units of Oxycodone, over 10 units of Hydrocodone, items commonly used for the ingestion/distribution of illegal controlled substances and a quantity of pseudoephedrine on November 14.

The second indictment charges Good with reportedly Receiving Stolen Property: Firearm for allegedly unlawfully receiving and possessing a handgun, which was stolen from Georgia.

The third indictment charges Good with Receiving Stolen Property over $500 for reportedly unlawfully receiving and possessing a 2014 Apollo Dirt Bike, which had been stolen from Georgia.

Lake Cumberland Area Drug Task Force Agent Robbie Clark and KSP Detective Billy Correll presented evidence in six cases involving reported drug buys by a confidential source

James Watters, of Stearns was indicted on one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree and one count of trafficking in a Controlled Substance Second Degree for allegedly selling seven Hydrocodone tablets and one and a half Suboxone tablets to a confidential source on two separate occasions.

Christopher Abbott, of Parkers Lake, was indicted on one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance Second degree for reportedly selling two Suboxone tablets to a confidential source on March 7.

Daniel Tapley, of Strunk, was indicted on one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree for allegedly selling 20 Hydrocodone Tablets to a confidential source on March 7.

John Ridner, of Pine Knot, was indicted on one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree for reportedly selling 1 gram of cocaine to a confidential source on February 24.

Paul Jamison, of Winfield, TN., was indicted on three counts of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree for allegedly selling a total of three grams of cocaine to a confidential source on three separate occasions between April and May, 2015.

Heather Murphy, of Strunk, was indicted on two counts of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree for allegedly selling a total of four Oxycodone pills to a confidential source on two separate occasions.

Robert Lowe, Carla Barnett, both of Stearns, and Julie Lyons of Revelo were indicted on four counts related to a reported break-in and robbery at the Bestway Game Room on March 21.

The three were charged with two counts of Burglary Third Degree one count of Criminal Mischief First Degree and one count of Theft by Unlawful Taking over $500.

Clayton Ridner, of Parkers Lake, and Jeremy Young, of Whitley City were indicted on three counts related to an alleged March 10 break-in at a storage building in Whitley City.

Both men were charged with one count of Burglary Third Degree and one count of Theft by Unlawful Taking over $500 and one of Theft by Unlawful Taking less than $500.

Jimmy Troxell, of Parkers Lake was indicted on one count of Flagrant Non-Support for allegedly failing to make Court-ordered child support payments for not less than six consecutive months for more than $1,000.

Douglass Wagers, of Oneida, TN., was indicted on four counts relating to a December 6 attempted traffic stop by Kentucky State Police Trooper Wendell Higgenbotham.

Wagers was charged with resisting Arrest, Fleeing or Evading Police Second Degree, Operating a Motor Vehicle While Under the Influence of Intoxicants and Convicted Felon in Possession of a Handgun.

Thomas Colwell, of Pine Knot, was indicted on a count of Burglary Second Degree for allegedly unlawfully entering a residence on November 8, 2015. Wagers was also charged with Fleeing or Evading Police Second Degree for allegedly refusing to obey KSP Trooper Matt Ridner’s directive to stop running, Theft of Identity for reportedly unlawfully using someone else’s name without permission, Resisting Arrest, and being a Persistent Felony Offender after a 2011 felony conviction in Boone County.

Dustin Eldridge, of Stearns, was charged with one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance First Degree, Possession of a Controlled Substance Second Degree and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia for reportedly having a quantity of methamphetamine, Suboxone and items commonly used for the ingestion/distribution of illegal controlled substances on October 23.

October Smith (AKA Spurgeon), of Knoxville, was indicted on one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance First Degree and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence for allegedly possessing a quantity of heroin on November 29 and apparently attempting to destroy or conceal the drugs from Trooper Matt Ridener.

Patrick Ross, of Oneida, TN., was indicted on one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree, one count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance Second Degree and one count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia after allegedly being found to be in possession of over 2 grams of methamphetamine, a quantity of Suboxone and items commonly used for the ingestion/distribution of illegal controlled substances by Deputy Jerry Meadows on April 26.

Ross was also charged with being a Persistent Felony Offender after previous convictions in McCreary and Franklin counties.

The Voice would like to remind our readers that an indictment is not an indication of one’s guilt or innocence, but represents that enough evidence exists in a case to pursue the matter in a court of law.