Marion County law enforcement make arrests in joint operation

By: Staff Reports | SCNow
Published: March 21, 2010

MARION -- Marion County law enforcement agencies made several arrest over the weekend in a joint operation.

The Marion County Combined Drug Unit’s Gang Task Force along with the City of Mullins and Town of Nichols Police Departments conducted what officials called “a weekend enforcement saturation.”

According to a press release, the results were several arrests and the seizure of narcotics throughout the county.

On Friday night, Mullins police officers and agents of the Gang Task Force arrested Bridgett Hayes, 19, of Mullins for several alcohol offenses and possession of prescription pills, including Xanex, City of Mullins Police Chief Kenneth W. Davis report.

Nichols Police officers and agents of the Gang Task Force arrested Dometrice Buie, 30 of Mullins for simple possession of marijuana Saturday night during a traffic stop in the city.

Davis said agents later responded in Mullins to assist in the arrest of Jeremy Gerald. Gerald was found on foot in the Gause Street housing complex area in possession of approximately 15 grams of marijuana along with packaging and distribution materials.

Marion County Sheriff Mark Richardson said the Gang Task Force is being supplemented periodically by officers of local police agencies to maximize coverage of enforcement efforts by a unique “Metro Agreement,” which authorizes officers throughout the county to act under the umbrella of the Sheriff’s Office during emergencies and in special situations.

Richardson said that street crime saturations of suspected gang areas will continue and will become more prevalent throughout the county now that agents have gathered significant intelligence countywide from which to operate.

The task force, paired with the County’s Combined Drug Unit, is staffed by officers from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Marion and City of Mullins Police Departments and guided by the same governing body that oversees the Combined Drug Unit. The Gang Task Force was formed after a federal grant award in October 2009.

Richardson asks that anyone with information that might be helpful to the task force to contact the agency at (843) 423-2056.