Lincoln County Sheriff deputies arrested 17 people, as of 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, in a county-wide drug bust dubbed Operation 38 Special.
The arrests come as part of the sweeping undercover operation that began last summer. Many of those were identified after residents passed information to deputies through the office’s tip line, a news release said.
Deputies said those arrested were drug dealers, selling everything from prescription drugs to marijuana, cocaine, heroin and narcotics the release said.
“Our team is continuing to make positive progress in combating the manufacture and sale of illicit drugs in our county by the proactive relationship with every agency in our region,” Sheriff David Carpenter said. “And we will continue to see the fruits of this hard work in the months to come.”
Five U.S. Marshals were assisting deputies in the investigation.
This is the second major drug sting completed by Lincoln County deputies. Last year, 50 suspected drug dealers were arrested in the so-called Operation Rolling 50.
Deputies ask residents to help investigators continue targeting area drug dealers through tips.
“The more roundups our agency conducts, the harder it will be for law enforcement to identify possible drug dealers,” said Lincoln County Narcotics Lt. Jason Reid. “Therefore the community can help us and help themselves by paying attention in their neighborhoods and notifying us of possible drug information. No tip is too large or too small.”
Those arrested in Operation 38 Special as of Thursday morning, including charges, were:
• Donald Christopher Bracey, 44, of 2535 Woodland Hill Trail, Lincolnton, was charged with two felony counts of sell and deliver cocaine, two felony counts of possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver cocaine and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for a controlled substance. He is being held on a $10,000 bond.
• Adam Lee Braddy, 27, of 613 N. Flint St., Lincolnton, is charged with trafficking in opium by sale, trafficking in opium by possession and trafficking in opium by transport. He was also charged with possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver Oxycodone and sale and deliver Oxycodone. He is being held on a $40,000 bond.
• James Brownell Bradstreet, 51, of 3442 Fostall Lane, Lincolnton, is charged with felony possession of schedule I controlled substance. He is being held on a $10,000 bond.
• Joshua Jezreel Duncan, 22, of 1058 Drexall Lane, Lincolnton, is charged with possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver cocaine, sell and deliver cocaine, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver Alprazolam, sale and deliver Alprazolam, trafficking in opium by sale, possession and delivery, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana and sell and deliver marijuana. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.
• Stewart Lacy Earle, 57, of 308 Grandview Lane, Lincolnton, is charged with felony sell and deliver schedule IV controlled substance and felony possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver schedule IV controlled substance. He is being held on a $10,000 secured bond.
• Susan Tench Fitzgerald, 50, of 1828 Fitzgerald-Stowe Lane, Lincolnton, is charged with possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana and sell and deliver marijuana. She is being held on a $20,000 bond.
• Jackie Johnson Haynes, 49, of 1557 Leonard’s Fork Church Road, Crouse, is charged with felony possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance and sell and deliver a schedule II controlled substance. She is being held on a $20,000 bond.
• Bobby Wayne Langley, 52, of 1411 Round Tree Lane, Lincolnton, is charged with trafficking in opium by possession and obtaining controlled substance by fraud or forgery. He is being held on a $20,000 bond.
• Elizabeth Lynn Meadows, 27, of 5927 Old Plank Road, Stanley, is charged with possession of heroin and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for a controlled substance. She is being held on a $15,000 bond.
• Larry Dale Penley, 58, of 308 Grandview Lane, Lincolnton, is charged with three felony counts of trafficking heroin, possession of controlled substance schedule IV and sell and deliver a controlled substance schedule IV. He is being held on a $20,000 bond.
• Rita Ann Powell, 57, of 1749 Salem Church Road, Lincolnton, is charged with felony possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver schedule III controlled substance and felony sell and deliver a schedule III controlled substance. She is being held on a $10,000 bond.
• Lewis Dean Shaw, 51, of 3655 Shaw Estates Lane, Lincolnton, is charged with felony trafficking in opium by sale, trafficking by possession and trafficking by delivery, felony possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver schedule IV controlled substance and sell and deliver a schedule IV controlled substance. He is being held on a $40,000 bond.
• Mary Cody Stamey, 43, of 4759 Westwinds Road, Lincolnton is charged with possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver morphine, sale and deliver morphine, and conspiracy to sell and deliver schedule II controlled substance. She is being on a $10,000 bond.
• Luther Bolton Vassey, 30, of 3089 River Road, Lincolnton, is charged with possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver heroin, and sell and deliver heroin. He is being held on a $30,000 secured bond.
• Danny Lee Walker, 61, of South Grove Street Extension, Lincolnton, is charged with trafficking heroin. He is being held on $20,000 bond.
• Clayton James Waynick, 24, of 532 S. Eighth St., Maiden, is charged with possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver heroin and sell and deliver heroin. He is being held on a $15,000 bond.
• Jonathan Logan Whiteside, 36, of 2043 Tin Mine Road, Lincolnton, is charged with felony possession with the intent to sell and deliver marijuana, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for a controlled substance, sell and deliver marijuana, and conspiracy to sell and deliver a schedule VI controlled substance. He is being held on $9,999 bond.
