Roadblocks nab 29 in Friday blitz

By Rupert Howell
If you were out and about Friday or Saturday night, there is a good chance you were involved in traffic stop or roadblock.
Sheriff Dennis Darby and BPD Assistant Chief Kerry Pittman both reported 29 arrests consisting of 10 DUIs, seven felony drug arrests, eight misdemeanor drug arrests, four previous warrant arrests and numerous traffic violations.
Pittman said the detail was an effort to keep the citizens of Batesville and Panola County safe.
Panola County Sheriffs Department, Batesville Police Department, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and Panola County Drug Task Force officers merged together for the weekend and checked drivers throughout Batesville and Panola County.
“We would like to thank the citizens for being patient during this time,” PIttman noted.
Darby said the combined force details would continue in an effort to keep drug users and dangerous drivers off the road. “This is just a start,” he said.
The stops were throughout the area in and around Batesville with teams of officers moving locations quickly as cell phone technology easily spreads road stop locations to law violators.