DCHS Business Education teacher arrested, charged with sexual exploitation of children
News December 9, 2020
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Ryan Dennis Coker, 38, a Business Education teacher at Dawson County High School, was arrested Tuesday (Dec. 8) and charged with six felony counts of sexual exploitation of children and unlawful eavesdropping/surveillance.
Following Coker’s arrest the Dawson County School System released a statement stating that they are cooperating fully with the sheriff’s office investigation, and that Coker has been placed on administrative leave.
Coker is accused of having possession of photographs depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He is being held in the Dawson County Detention Center. Dawson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
GBI: Dawson County inmate death due to combined drug intoxication
News July 27, 2020
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner has ruled the 18-year-old Dawson County inmate found dead in a cell on June 2, died due to a combined drug intoxication.
Jonathan Sanford who had just graduated from high school and was planning to attend college in the Fall, was arrested on a DUI charge and possession of marijuana. He was found dead in his cell the next day by a Dawson County jailer.
Although the cause of death has been established, the GBI is continuing its investigation. The Sanford family wants to know if their son was given a medical examination and placed on watch. Dawson County Sheriff’s Office Policy and Procedures requires inmates believed to be under the influence of drugs be “kept under close observation.”
The family has hired attorney AJ Richman to conduct a separate investigation to determine whether jail personnel failures contributed to his death.
“Georgia’s sheriffs are responsible for every aspect of a detainee’s health and welfare,” said Richman. “Our local government needs to be transparent, and we are calling upon the sheriff to share with us how Jonathan died in their custody.”
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
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Agents seize $705,000 in drugs, arrest 48 in year-long, multi-jurisdictional drug bust
News July 13, 2020
North GA (July 10, 2020) – After an extensive 11- month local, state, and federal joint investigation, 48 men and women have been arrested on the Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and will be charged on numerous drugs and weapons offenses, spanning the Northern District of Georgia into the metro Atlanta area.
From August 2019 to the present, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Major Offender’s Task Force in conjunction with the Hall County District Attorney’s Office has been conducting an investigation into the drug trafficking organization of Luther Troy Summerfield, age 43, Alejandro Ceja-Solano, age 40, and others. During the course of the investigation, agents in coordination with local deputies from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, the Banks County Sheriff’s Office, the White County Sheriff’s Office, Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office, Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Cleveland Police Department, Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office learned that Summerfield purchased and distributed kilograms of methamphetamine from Ceja-Solano. Information obtained from numerous hours of investigation also revealed that Summerfield traveled to Ceja-Solano’s residence to obtain drugs and traveled to the metro Atlanta area to obtain heroin and methamphetamine, either facilitated by Ceja-Solano, or another source of supply.
Throughout the investigation, police executed approximately 12 search warrants yielding the following:
- Approximately 50 kilograms of methamphetamine
- Approximately ½ kilogram of heroin
- Approximately 20 firearms
- Approximately $70,000 in cash
- Approximately 6 vehicles
The following individuals were arrested:
- Tanya Lynn Allison, age 48-arrested
- Katlynn Marie Beaucaire-arrested
- Richard Daniel Burkett-arrested
- Dulcey Burton, age 51-arrested
- Alejandro Ceja-Solano-arrested
- Jose Alfredo Miranda Chavez-already in custody
- Jessica Marie Clark, age 28-arrested
- Noah Coker-in prison
- Mark Coker-arrested
- Joshua Collins- already in custody
- Kevin Cosper-arrested
- Robyn Samantha Dost, age 27-arrested
- Chelsea Dover, age 30-arrested
- Shelbi Eanes, age 25-arrested
- Juan Antonio Flores-custody in Gwinnett
- Brandi Nicole Freeman-arrested
- Jory Gee, age 33-arrested
- Roger Dale Gerrin, age 62-arrested
- Robert Green- already in custody in Lumpkin
- Dexter Grier, age 40-arrested
- Nucoma Grindle, age 42-arrested
- Dustin Floyd Groves- arrested
- Terry Harris, -arrested
- Christy Deresia Hedden-arrested
- Jerry Lee Helton-arrested
- Crystal Marie Herrin-arrested
- Brooke Barron Hicks-arrested
- Christopher Jackson, age 33-arrested
- Kimberly Ann Kennedy-arrested
- Richard Jason Maddox-arrested
- Marinela Romeiro Marquez-arrested
- Pablo Martinez-already in custody
- Shayna Millwood-arrested
- Allie Murray-arrested
- William Harrison Nicely-arrested
- Ashley Parker- already in custody
- Joshua Ray Phillips- custody already
- Kirstie Purvis-arrested
- Brianne Ross Rummell-already in custody
- Michael Rummel-arrested
- Coty Anthony Sanders-arrested
- Jeffrey Shane Seabolt—arrested
- Erin Sexton-arrested
- Jessie Elaine Smith-arrested
- Seantal Tiffany Smith-arrested
- Luther Troy Summerfield-arrested
- Delores Thomas –arrested
- Anthony Williams-in custody
The street value associated with all the drugs seized is approximately $705,000.00.
The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is a multi-agency unit that consists of the following agencies: White County Sheriff’s Office, Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office, Towns County Sheriff’s Office, Banks County Sheriff’s Office, Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office, Cleveland Police Department, Lavonia Police Department, Toccoa Police Department, the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, the Department of Public Safety, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The FBI’S Major Offender’s Task Force consists of the Gainseville Police Department, the Georgia State Patrol, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office the Georgia Department of Corrections, the GBI, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Winder Police Department, and the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office.
The Alto Police Department assisted with this investigation as well.
This investigation is an example of the value of interagency cooperation. Because of the strong, existing relationships between the participating agencies, agents were able to share intelligence and coordinate the dismantling of a complex drug trafficking organization. Although numerous arrests have been made and evidence seized, the investigation continues, and additional arrests are expected.
Four arrested in Lumpkin County drug bust
News April 16, 2021
LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga. — A multi-agency task force arrested four individuals and took 295 grams of methamphetamine and an undisclosed amount of heroin off the street Wednesday (Apr 13).
Following months of investigation, the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office served a warrant at 1085 Lewis School Road. During the service of this search warrant four individuals were arrested.
The following were arrested: 34-year-old Terri Lynn Gee of Dahlonega, 59-year-old Sandra Louise Whitlow of Dahlonega, 40-year-old Michael Troy Sexton of Oakwood and 26-year-old Austin Lamar Mote of Braselton.
All four individuals are being charged with Trafficking methamphetamine. Terri Gee is also charged with sale of methamphetamine, possession of drug related objects, and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Sandra Whitlow and Michael Sexton are also being charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug related objects.
Teri Lynn Gee
Sandra Louise Whitlow
Michael Troy Sexton
Austin Mote