Operation April Fools Nets Dozens of Sevier County Drug Dealers

UPDATE: Nine additional suspects have been arrested as part of the April Fools undercover operation conducted earlier this month.

Updated April 30, 2018 to include new arrests.

The suspects were included in the indictments handed down by a Sevier County Grand Jury of 87 suspected drug dealers as a result of an undercover operation by the Sevier County Street Crimes Unit. These additional arrests bring the total of suspects arrested to 52. The other 35 suspects are still being sought at this time by various agencies. The following have been arrested and booked into Sevier County Jail.

Ricky Wilhite ­­– age 54
1 count Sale & Delivery schedule II
3 counts Oxycodone
101 County Line Rd., Jefferson City, Tenn.

Christiaan E. McLellan ­­– age 31
2 counts Sale & Delivery schedule II methamphetamine
104 Mountain View Dr., Sevierville

John Darryl Davis II ­­– age 39
1 count Sale & Delivery schedule II Hydrocodone, Conspiracy to Distribute
352 Happy Trails Way, Sevierville

Stacey Carol Franklin ­­– age 39
2 counts Sale & Delivery schedule II methamphetamine
2980 Six Point Way, Sevierville

Taylor Ralph Gaisser ­­– age 26
1 count Sale & Delivery schedule II methamphetamine
3656 Misty Ln, Sevierville

Jerry Dean Stutte ­­– age 39
1 count Sale & Delivery schedule II methamphetamine
818 1/2 Stiles Lane, Kodak

Staci Michelle Flynn ­­– age 29
1 count Sale & Delivery schedule II methamphetamine
605 Parton Hollow Road, Sevierville

Cody Eugene Parton ­­– age 31
Sale & Delivery schedule I, II, VI
Possession of a firearm during commission of a felony
6823 Bee Carter Road Dandridge, TN

Ernest Hal Ownby ­­– age 47
1 count Sale & Delivery schedule II methamphetamine
1187 Old Cartertown Road, Gatlinburg

Previous: April 10, 2018

Authorities set out early Tuesday morning to round up suspected drug dealers indicted by a Sevier County Grand Jury last week as a result of an undercover drug sting.

According to Sheriff Ron Seals, the Sevier County Street Crimes unit conducted Operation April Fools over the last eight months, targeting dealers of methamphetamine, heroin and other opioid drugs. The Sevier County Grand Jury indicted 87 people as a result of the operation.

Officers from the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office; police departments of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg; Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals Service and Tennessee Department of Corrections (BOPP) started making arrests at 5 a.m. on April 10, 2018. By the end of the day 43 of the 87 suspected drug dealers were in custody.

Officers seized three vehicles, $15,600 in cash, and additional illegal drugs from the suspect’s homes.

Operation April Fools arrests made as of 5 p.m. include:

Jeffery Large – age 50
3 counts sale & delivery of schedule II methamphetamine
1196 Allensville Rd, Sevierville

Anna Shafer – age 44
4 counts sale & delivery of schedule II methamphetamine
1196 Allensville Rd, Sevierville

Jennifer Brown – age 36
3 counts sale & delivery of schedule III Buprenorphine (Suboxene)
237 Redwood Dr, Seymour

Jeffery Latham – age 40
4 counts sale & delivery of schedule III Buprenorphine (Suboxene)
1101 Deertrail Way, Seymour

Amber Skye Smith – age 20
Sale & delivery of schedule I heroin, schedule II oxycodone
410 N. Rogers Rd, Seymour

Jacklyn Kirk – age 36
Sale & delivery of schedule IV Xanax / schedule II oxycodone
216 Virginia Dr, Seymour

Teresa Long – age 34
3 counts sale & delivery schedule II oxycodone / oxymorphone
1716 Sandplant Rd, Sevierville

Tabitha West – age 35
3 counts Sale & delivery schedule II Oxycodone/ oxymorphone
249 Daisey Cir, Maryville

Edger Benjamin Munoz – age 41
2 counts sale & delivery schedule II cocaine
2 counts in drug free zone
2 counts revoked DL
1055 Berry Trail, Sevierville

Gary Ogle – age 36
2 counts sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
847 Hardin Ln, Sevierville

Thao Nichols – age 28
Sale & delivery counterfeit controlled substance
300 Willie D Way, Jefferson City

Eddie Williams – age 33
2 counts sale & delivery schedule I
1 count sale & delivery schedule II in a school zone
201 Mullinax Lane, Sevierville

Sandy Bierman – age 39
Sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine in a drug free zone
2107 Newport Hwy, Sevierville

Teddy Campbell – age 50
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
539 Rush Branch Rd, Pigeon Forge

Michael Spurling – age 35
2 counts sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
539 Rush Branch Rd, Pigeon Forge

William Joseph Tucker – age 49
1 count sale & delivery schedule II Oxycodone
1034 Pullen Rd, Sevierville

Carly Huskey – age 26
1 count sale & delivery schedule II Oxycodone
2 counts sale & delivery schedule III Buprenorphine (Suboxene)
3438 Lions Springs Rd, Sevierville

Kailyn Rea Davis – age 28
3 counts sale & delivery schedule II Hydrocodone
Conspiracy to Distribute
240 Riverwalk Dr, Sevierville

David Wesley Brown – age 34
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
Conspiracy to distribute
346 East Parkway, Gatlinburg

Jason Daniel Huskey – age 28
1 count sale & delivery schedule III Buprenorphine (Suboxene)
3438 Line Springs Rd, Sevierville

Stephen Roger Vandergriff – age 25
1 count sale & delivery schedule III Buprenorphine (Suboxene)
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
417 Hayes Dr, Kodak

Julia Christine Harksen – age 28
1 count sale & delivery schedule III Buprenorphine (Suboxene)
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
417 Hayes Dr, Kodak

Tiffany Martin – age 31
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
2253 Old Newport Hwy, Sevierville

Roy Gambill – age 34
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
1320 Willow Creek Lane, Sevierville

Randy Howard – age 47
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
Conspiracy to distribute
2328 Jones Cove Rd, Sevierville

Robert Franklin – age 54
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
Conspiracy to distribute
2310 Scenic Loop Rd, Pigeon Forge

Joel Clabough – age 38
2 counts sale & delivery schedule III Buprenorphine (Suboxene)
1 count drug free zone school
2939 Mattie Jane Way, Sevierville

Billy Joe McFalls – age 47
1 count sale & delivery schedule I heroin
1438 Hill Top Way, Sevierville

Kelsie Epperson – age 23
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
770 Goose Crk Rd, Seymour

Shane Gilliand – age 28
1 count sale & delivery schedule II Methamphetamine
714 Doe Run Way, Seymour

Nolvia Rosmery Carillo – age 38
1 count sale & delivery schedule II cocaine
Conspiracy to distribute
1055 Berry Trail, Sevierville

Samantha Herstritt – age 36
1 count sale & delivery schedule III Buprenorphine (Suboxene)
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
113 Country View Way, Newport, TN

Charles Thomas – age 33
Possession with the intent to sale schedule I and schedule II
653 Maplewood Circle, Sevierville

Cammie Middleton – age 34
2 counts sale & delivery schedule II Morphine
1024 Bradley Ct, Kodak

The following persons were in custody in correctional facilities when the sealed presentments were handed down by the Grand Jury and holds were placed upon them:

Dustin Black – age 52
3 counts sale & delivery schedule II Oxycodone / oxymorphone
Bledsoe County Correctional Complex

Melissa Meister – age 40
3 counts sale & delivery schedule II Oxycodone / oxymorphone in drug free zone
Knox County Jail

Gabriel E. Hyatt – age 30
3 counts sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine, fentanyl, oxycodone
1 count schedule III heroin
Jefferson County Jail

Samantha Penn – age 21
2 counts sale & delivery schedule II and III
Jefferson County Jail

Ammie Lyons (Grimmett) – age 43
3 counts schedule II Carfentanil, methamphetamine
Jefferson Co Jail

Alhley Blevins – age 25
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
Conspiracy to Distribute methamphetamine
West Tennessee State Penitentiary

Aaron Monroe Hooker – age 29
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
Conspiracy to Distribute methamphetamine
Sullivan County Jail

Samual Eslinger – age 29
1 count sale & delivery schedule I Counterfeit (Heroin)
Hancock County Jail

Steven Arnold Hedgepath – age 47
1 count sale & delivery schedule II methamphetamine
Savannah, Ga.

 

All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.