Drug dealer sentenced to 30 years

PRESS RELEASE – On August 20, 2024, a Chattooga County jury found Larry Dale Dooley guilty on one count of trafficking in methamphetamine and one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

The evidence at trial established that the defendant, a five-time convicted felon, was arrested in the course of a sting operation conducted by the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force.

Brian Tucker, the deputy commander of the task force, spearheaded the operation, which commenced when agents flipped two low-level drug users into informants.

When the addicts-turned-informants called the defendant at the direction of task force agents, he agreed to sell them an ounce of methamphetamine.

Following a thorough search of the informants and their vehicle, task force agents closely trailed the informants all the way to the defendant’s home.

When the informants pulled into the defendant’s driveway, he got into the backseat of their vehicle holding a stainless-steel tumbler.

Once the informants pulled onto State Route 48, Deputy Commander Tucker activated his emergency lights, whereupon the defendant threw a set of digital scales onto the highway.

As soon as the informants brought their vehicle to a stop on Ridgecrest Drive, task force agents swarmed the vehicle with guns drawn.

When Agent Chris Wooten opened the rear passenger door, he saw the defendant frantically trying to hide his tumbler.

After the police subdued the defendant, who forcibly resisted arrest, Deputy Commander Tucker searched the backseat of the informants’ vehicle and found over seventy-five grams of methamphetamine secreted away in the defendant’s tumbler.

Following the verdict, Chief Judge Kristina Cook Graham sentenced the defendant to thirty years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

This prosecution epitomizes the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s commitment to combatting the opioid epidemic by getting drug dealers and traffickers off of our streets.

The District Attorney’s office would like to thank everyone who testified at the trial, including Brian Tucker, Gary Campbell, Caine Railey, Chris Wooten, Mitzi Lands, and Andrew DeJarnette.

The District Attorney’s office would also like to thank all of the support staff who contributed to this important victory, including Amy Reed, Jordan Floyd, Cara Parris, Annabelle Carter, and Eric Sliz.