Suspects arrested in drug roundup

Published 7:00 am Friday, March 28, 2014

DRUG ROUNDUP: Sandra Bailey was taken into custody during the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department roundup operation Thursday morning. Bailey was charged with conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance.  Photo by Jeremy Pittari

DRUG ROUNDUP: Sandra Bailey was taken into custody during the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department roundup operation Thursday morning. Bailey was charged with conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance.
Photo by Jeremy Pittari

As a result of several months of investigation, more than 30 law enforcement officers set out Thursday morning to round up 21 suspects for various drug related charges.

All but one of the suspects who were at their residence when officers arrived were taken into custody without resistance, said Maj. Donnie Saucier with the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department.

However, 33-year-old Martin Sciambra of 12 Frog Pond Rd., Carreire, decided he was not going to exit his home when officers asked, Saucier said.

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Once officers made contact with Sciambra through the door of the home and positively identified him, he told the officers he was not going to open the door. For an hour and 15 minutes officers tried via cell phone calls and verbal commands to prompt Sciambra to open the door, Saucier said.

As the Item watched the scene unfold, officers set up a perimeter around the home with SWAT Team members, as Saucier tried to coax Sciambra to surrender though phone calls.

After attempts to have Sciambra willingly open the door failed, the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team moved in and kicked in the front door. Yelling and officer orders could be heard as Sciambra was taken into custody in less than 60 seconds. Saucier said Sciambra was taken into custody without incident and without injury.

Sciambra was charged with sale of a controlled substance, Saucier said.

Of the 21 suspects the operation set out to collect, only six were at home when officers knocked on their door.

Other suspects picked up that morning include; 22-year-old Thomas “T.J.” Bowers of 1801 U.S. 11 S., lot 64, for sale of a controlled substance; 62-year-old Linda Brown of 3299 A Jackson Landing Rd., for sale of a controlled substance; 32-year-old Timothy Wheat of 34 Broadway Circle, for manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of precursors and generating hazardous waste; 50-year-old Sandra Bailey of 117 Marilyn St., for conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance and 33-year-old Brandi Croney of 150 Shorty Burgess Rd., for a conspiracy to sell a controlled substance indictment.

Saucier said several of the suspects tend to live in multiple locations, making an arrest difficult.

“They don’t necessarily live in one particular place, they stay at different locations,” Saucier said. “There’s no doubt we will eventually get them.”

The department is now looking for the following suspects; 37-year-old Brian Evans of 68 Shorty Burgess Rd., for two counts of sale of a controlled substance; 47-year-old Tina Fugate of 165 Shorty Burgess Rd., for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute; 32-year-old Arlando Arnold of 2313 Cousin St., for sale of a controlled substance; 30-year-old Donovan “Chick” Quinn of 824 E. Canal St., for two counts of sale of a controlled substance; 39-year-old Orlando Buford of 152 Whitehead Lane, Carriere for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute; 45-year-old Kurt Smith of 2415 Hwy. 53, Perkinston, for felony possession of a controlled substance; 34-year-old David Lee Martinovich of 265 Oscar Smith Rd., Carriere for manufacture of a controlled substance, possession of precursor chemicals and generating hazardous waste; 44-year-old Raymond Hartfield of 15300 Fisher Rd., Franklinton, La., for felony possession of a controlled substance; 37-year-old Maria Rivers, address unknown, for conspiracy to transfer a controlled substance; 21-year-old Destin Meyn of 601 Carter St., for sale of a counterfeit controlled substance; 23-year-old Jonathan Vines of 820 Cross St., for sale of a controlled substance; 27-year-old Travis Budenich of 125 Normandy Dr., Slidell, La., for sale of a controlled substance; 22-year-old Shelby Stephens of 228 Burgetown Rd., Carriere for felony possession of a controlled substance; 23-year-old Brady Rouse of 228 Burgetown Rd., Carriere for felony possession of a controlled substance; 36-year-old Allen Bell of 548 F.Z. Goss Rd., for accessory after the fact; 33-year-old Tony Herring of 117 Marilyn St., for three counts of manufacture of a controlled substance and 38-year-old John Stockstill of 117 Marilyn St., for four counts of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance.

Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of the wanted suspects should call 601-403-2530.

Departments that assisted with the operation included theMississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force, U.S. Marshal’s office, Picayune Police Department and the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Sheriff David Allison said he appreciates the support other agencies provided in the operation and asks the community to continue to provide tips.

“We need them to be our eyes and ears,” Allison said.