17 arrested in Monroe County bust

By KEVIN YOUNG

A year-long drug trafficking investigation resulted in the arrests of 17 Tompkinsville residents on Wednesday and more arrests are expected as the investigation continues.

Troopers with the Kentucky State Police Post 15 in Columbia, the KSP Drug Enforcement Special Investigation Unit and the HIDTA Drug Taskforce in Bowling Green assisted in the investigation, according to KSP Lt. Eric Wolford, Post 15 detective. The Tompkinsville Police Department assisted KSP in serving the indictment warrants on Wednesday, he said.

Arrested were John David Graves, 45, charged with four counts of first-degree trafficking in controlled substance, cocaine, second-degree trafficking in controlled substance and five counts of first-degree persistent felony offender; Bonnie Lou Jackson, 53, charged with second-degree trafficking in controlled substance and second-degree persistent felony offender; Joyce Turner, 50, charged with first-degree trafficking in controlled substance; Ricky Emberton, 46, charged with two counts of first-degree trafficking in controlled substance; Emanuel Howard, 24, charged with first-degree trafficking in controlled substance second offense, cocaine, first-degree complicity trafficking in controlled substance and second-degree persistent felony offender.

Crystal Walker, 27, charged with first-degree trafficking in controlled substance and third-degree trafficking in controlled substance; David Branham, 34, charged with second-degree complicity trafficking in controlled substance; Sonny Voorhies, 35, charged with first-degree complicity trafficking in controlled substance and first-degree persistent felony offender; Micheal Vibbert, 32, charged with second-degree trafficking in controlled substance.

Lorenzo Tooley, 36, charged with three counts of first-degree trafficking in controlled substance second offense and three counts of first-degree persistent felony offender; Kevin Bartley, 55, charged with first-degree trafficking in controlled substance; Bill Page, 66, charged with two counts of second-degree trafficking in controlled substance; Kathy Goad, 48, charged with two counts of second-degree trafficking in controlled substance; James Light, 60, charged with two counts of second-degree trafficking in controlled substance and two counts of second-degree persistent felony offender; Miranda Turner, 23, charged with second-degree trafficking in controlled substance; Barbara Hernandez, 48, charged with second-degree trafficking in controlled substance and trafficking in controlled substance within 1,000 yards of a school; and Shelia Proffitt, 41, charged with second-degree trafficking in controlled substance, according to a KSP report.

Wolford said the investigation used a combination of undercover drug buys by KSP and the use of confidential informants. He said state police is actively pursuing more arrests in this investigation, and there may be more drug arrest round-ups coming.

“We still have active cases in front of the grand jury to consider for indictment, and maybe we’ll have another round-up pretty soon,” he said.

And despite the large number of arrests on Wednes-day, Wolford said the size of the round-up is actually small in comparison to other investigations the KSP has completed.

“In the grand scheme of roundups this one is pretty small in size,” he said. “But anytime you can get 18 people off the streets for selling narcotics we consider it a big victory.”

As of Thursday morning, Jackson, Joyce Turner and Proffitt were lodged in the Barren County Correction Center. Graves, Howard, Voorhies, Vibbert, Tooley and Light were lodged in the Monroe County Correctional Center. Each of the other eight individuals have made bail with property bonds and cash bonds, according to Monroe County Jailer Doyle Fox.

“We’re pretty busy down here, but we’re doing alright,” Fox said.

Wolford asked anyone with information about drug activity in the area to contact the KSP Columbia post at (270) 384-4796.