Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Crack Sales Alleged In County Jail

A sting operation was made on the Nevada County jail by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office.

According to Nevada County Sheriff Steve Otwell, drugs were being sold in the upstairs part.

Otwell enlisted the aid of the South Central Drug Task Force, getting a volunteer to be jailed on bogus charges.

On Thursday, March 2, a "hitchhiker" was picked up by NCSO deputies and taken to jail. A "check" on the suspect's background, Otwell said, turned up warrants for failure to comply out of Sevier County. He was booked and held until Sevier County officials could come and get him.

The idea, Otwell said, was to have the officer find out how the drugs were being brought upstairs and if, in fact, they were being sold and if any employees of the NCSO were involved.

It didn't take long, as two inmates offered to sell the undercover officer a rock of crack cocaine shortly after he was incarcerated. He was also offered a free sample to let him know the drugs were real.

While in the cell, another inmate bought a rock and smoked it, with the alleged sellers, Lee Otis Sims and William Calvin Anderson, fanning the smoke toward the undercover officer so he could smell the drugs were real.

About four hours after the undercover officer was jailed, Otwell was paged, with the jailer telling the sheriff the newest inmate was complaining of leg pains and had a history of heart trouble in his family.

Otwell had the "inmate" brought to his office downstairs and informed his staff he would take the man to Sevier County himself.

While in the sheriff's office, the undercover officer told Otwell what had transpired in the cell. He told the sheriff if he'd had any money he could have made a buy.

Otwell told the jailer on duty the inmate had forgotten his shirt and needed to go upstairs and get it. When he returned, the undercover officer had purchased $100 worth of crack cocaine.

Sims and Anderson face charges of delivery of a controlled substance, while another inmate, Michael Bennett, is expected to be charged with possession of a controlled substance inside a detention facility.

According to Otwell, Anderson, when first arrested, had the crack in plastic bags and swallowed them. He was brought in on marijuana charges.

It took two days for Anderson to pass the drugs, Otwell said, and the sales began thereafter.

Once the undercover officer had made his buy, drug dogs were taken upstairs as a shakedown was going to be done. However, the dog found nothing as the drugs were reportedly flushed down the commode before officers could get to the cell.

"We couldn't have done this without the help of the task force," Otwell said.