By Jeremy Weldon

Two weekend search warrants in the north of Panola County yielded a considerable amount of illegal narcotics, weapons, and cash. Four people were arrested, including a man and woman who were also charged with child abuse.

Friday (May 31) started the weekend’s arrests when officers of the Sheriff Department’s Narcotics Unit served warrants at a residence on Hunter’s Chapel Road, east of Como. Capt. Gray Nickels said the drug task force had made several undercover purchases in the past two months at the house and other illegal activity was suspected.

Orlando Devonta Gardner was charged with possession of a stolen firearm during the raid and Roichesky Cartiers King was chaged with three counts of the sale of a controlled substance and four courts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

King is also wanted by Alabama authorities for charges of transporting illegal narcotics.

The second set of arrests was made at a residence on Mary Woods Road west of Como. That investigation began in late January when agents of the narcotics division assisted Tate County deputies located stolen property from a series of burglaries there.

As a result of that cooperation, Terrell Andre Harris was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and with felony possession of a firearm. Nickels said the Panola County agents involved with the first case continued to investigate Harris’ activities after he bonded out of jail earlier this year.

Deputies obtained another search warrant for Harris last week and arrested him late Friday, charging him with three counts of the sale of a controlled substance, one count of possession with intent to sell, felony possession of a firearm, and child abuse.

Also taken into custody was Jasmu Johnson. She was charged with possession of controlled substance with intent to sell and child abuse.

Those arrested were expected to make a first appearance in court this week. Between the two raids, Panola deputies recovered alleged crack cocaine, powder cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, multiple firearms, and more than $3,400 in drug-relate proceeds, according to Nickels.

Panola County Sheriff Dennis Darby said information received from concerned citizens in Sardis and Como again resulted in arrests of suspects of drug and weapons cases. “Our deputies put in a lot of long hours working these two cases and we got some help from the community,” he said.

Darby said the Sheriff’s Department will continue to investigate cases of suspected illegal drug activity in Como and surrounding areas, and urged any citizens with information to contact his office at 563-6230.