7 Arrested on Federal Drug Charges

Murphy, NC— Cherokee County Sheriff Derrick Palmer announced the June 05th, 2015 arrest of 7 Cherokee County residents on Federal Drug Charges which resulted from a three year joint investigation which included officers from US Forrest Service Law Enforcement, Cherokee Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.During the spring of 2012 an investigation began which involved allegations of several individuals in Cherokee County North Carolina illegally manufacturing and distributing controlled substances. Over the next three years, jointly the law enforcement agencies continued to investigate and were able to obtain federal warrants on the 7 individuals.

The following individuals were arrested as a result of the investigation:

38 year old Dorothy Melanie Allen who gave a Murphy North Carolina address
43 year old John Trampas Graham, who gave a Murphy North Carolina address
43 year old Raina Elizabeth Payne, who gave a Murphy North Carolina address
34 year old Jessica Hope Wells, who gave a Murphy North Carolina address
45 year old Deborah Renae Stovall, who gave a Murphy North Carolina address
28 year old Dustin Alan Whitener, who gave a Murphy North Carolina address
37 year old Jonathan Todd King, who gave a Murphy North Carolina address

All seven of are currently being detained in the Cherokee County Detention Center pending appearance in Federal Court.

Sheriff Palmer remarked

“I feel that we have accomplished something here today. We have picked up 7 individuals who have been illegally distributing drugs in Cherokee County for some time. As you can see from the agencies involved we are working cooperatively to identify and arrest people who continue in the drug trade. We are continuing in this investigation and expect additional charges and arrests in the near future.”

Sheriff Palmer encourages any one that has information to report it. To report crime in Cherokee County you can call the anonymous tip line at 828-837-1344 or email a tip at crime.tips@cherokeecounty-nc.gov or call 911 if you observe a crime in progress.