Drug bust breaks up hotel ring

Published 12:00 am Thursday, December 29, 2005

SOUTH POINT — Police found more than a motel room: They found a makeshift office for illegal drug sales.

Agents with the Lawrence County Drug Task Force and deputies with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office raided a room at the Comfort Inn Wednesday evening. Officers arrested five people for drug activity and confiscated drugs, weapons and cash used in the alleged illegal drug activity.

Those arrested were Tim A. Sexton (no relation to Lawrence County Sheriff Tim Sexton), 30, of Huntington, W.Va.; Benjamin Roberts, 27, of 279 Township Road 1034, South Point; Justin Anderson, 20, of 551 Township Road 1013, South Point; Donna Croson, 40 and Adam C. Bailey, 18, both of whom list themselves in jail documents as homeless.

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The drug raid took place just before 10 p.m. and involved 8-10 law enforcement officers.

“We are glad the arrests were made safely. We recovered four weapons, three handguns and a rifle from the room,” Sheriff Sexton said. “We had concerns due to our investigation that the subjects were armed. We also recovered $2,500 in cash, 30 grams of crack cocaine and a small amount of marijuana and some drug paraphernalia.”

All five people were taken to the Lawrence County Jail and are scheduled to be arraigned today in Lawrence County Municipal Court in Chesapeake.

With less than three weeks left in the year, Sexton said the number of felony drug arrests in Lawrence County is approaching the 60-mark.

The 2005 tally is in line with drug arrests in previous years, which Sexton said usually falls between 45 and 60.