A recent uptick in heroin activity, says police chief
A significant number of drug-related arrests have already been made by East Ellijay Police in the month of October. According to reports provided by the police department, all four arrests involved either heroin, methamphetamine or both substances.
“(These) cases are a sampling of what our department has been encountering in recent months,” said Police Chief Larry Callahan.
They are also representative of a higher-than-usual number of heroin cases, Callahan noted.
“Historically, it seems like our drug issues here have kind of been that they’ll get off on one thing, then it’ll kind of peak out and fade off into something else. We’ve never really had an issue with heroin, but, all of a sudden, we’re seeing a lot of it,” he added. “There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason. I think we’re just seeing an uptick in it.”
That also appears to be true for some other north Georgia counties, Callahan noted.
“I’ve called around and talked to some other chiefs in our area and, for whatever reason, they’re seeing a little bit of an uptick (in heroin cases). They didn’t give numbers, but they did say, ‘yeah, we’re seeing more than we normally do,”’ he said.
According to an East Ellijay Police incident report, a vehicle driven by David Ronig, of Newnan, left a gas station parking lot with no headlights on, then failed to maintain its lane before being pulled over Oct. 13. The traffic stop uncovered heroin and methamphetamine, as well as a sawed-off shotgun and drug-related objects, the report states.
According to a separate incident report, Peter Nociforo, of Forsyth, was questioned after exiting the East Ellijay Lowe’s while quickly pushing a shopping cart Oct. 5. While unloading the boxes into his vehicle, the shopping cart rolled and bumped into another vehicle, the report states. Searches of the car and the suspect’s wallet resulted in an arrest for both methamphetamine and shoplifting $532 worth of items from the store.
A phone call about suspicious activity at the city cemetery on Fowler Street resulted in the arrests of two men, Gaige Gravitt, of Blue Ridge, and Tyler Panchot Oct. 8. The incident report states that drugs including more than an ounce of marijuana, as well as heroin and ecstasy, were recovered from the scene.
According to another incident report, an Oct. 6 traffic stop on Howard Simmons Road resulted from a speeding vehicle with an Alabama license plate with no expiration decals affixed to the plate. After the officer learned the driver, Clint Richards, was not the vehicle’s registered owner, a search resulted in recovery of heroin, methamphetamine and drug-related objects, the report states.
“I want to commend my officers for their work. Regardless of the difficult climate we are in as law enforcement officers, I see them continuing to work and put themselves at risk to ensure the safety of our citizens, and I am very proud of their effort and results,” said Callahan.
“I also want to thank the Ellijay Police Department and Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance. These cases are an example of why working together and maintaining a good relationship between the departments benefits our agencies and the public we serve,” he added.