A former Lawrence County jailer was among the 48 people arrested in a multi-county drug raid Thursday.
Renee Simpson was arrested after an 18-month drug investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Monticello police and the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department.
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director John Dowdy said that after a pair of Mississippi Highway Patrol SWAT reams descended on two homes at dawn Thursday, word began to spread quickly.
Dowdy said those who had warrants “scattered like cockroaches” and went into hiding.
Dowdy said 17 people are still wanted in the roundup.
Agents allegedly found 423 dosage units of hydrocodone, 107 units of oxycodone, 135 grams of methamphetamine, 19 grams of crack cocaine and 8 grams of cocaine in the raids.
Along with Simpson, the list included Craig Longino of Bogue Chitto; Jamie Easterling of Jayess; Kenneth Peyton, Keisha Thomas Jackson, Clayton Howard Humphrey, Haley Wallace, Matthew Johnson, Charles Ray Daggins, Jeremy Morgan, Danny Chapman, Craig Rutland, Regina Evans, Charli Marie Hensley and Lendell Keon Collins, all of Monticello; Demetrius Diggs of Prentiss; Shacorey Pittman and Lenora Evans of New Hebron; Chadwick Nelson Oatis and Gaille Burris of Silver Creek; Taylor McPhail of Sontag; and Fred Earl Magee of Oakvale.
The 17 who are still wanted are Jamie Bozeman, Antonieo Courtney, Peggy Sue Courtney, Anthony Johnson, Ricki Polk Dale, John William Thompson Jr., Booker Eley, Jeffery Holloway, Shelby Smith, Travis Barnes and Demetri Bridges, all of Monticello; Danny Powell of Prentiss, Kimberly Westmoreland of Jayess; and April Bridges and Kenterio Smith of Silver Creek.
Lawrence County Sheriff Lessie Butler said the raid was the biggest he’s seen in his 18 years as a constable and sheriff.
A Pike County nurse practitioner was also arrested Wednesday afternoon. Susan Duncan, 59 of 4081 Enterprise Road, Summit, was arrested and charged with possession of the painkiller Tramadol. Duncan was taken to the Pike County jail where she later posted a $50,000 bond.
All of the others were booked into the Lawrence County jail.
