6 held in Friday drug sting
Published: March 22, 2009
Several residents of Grand Ridge residents and a Marianna resident were arrested Friday as a result of separate investigations by the Jackson County Drug Task Force.
James Wayne Mears, Christopher Wayne Mears, Debra Lynn Evans, Patricia Nanette Phillmon, Joseph Willard Glisson and Edna Bennett Torres were all booked into the Jackson County Correctional Facility Friday, according to a news release from the task force.
According to the news release, task force investigators conducted a lengthy drug investigation Friday in the southeast part of Jackson County. During the course of the investigation, James Wayne Mears, of 860 Saint Rose Road, Grand Ridge, and his son Christopher Wayne Mears, 5907 U.S. Highway 90, Marianna, were both arrested on Arkansas Road near Ocheesee Boat Landing after purchasing a “large” quantity of Loritab prescription medication, which contains hydrocodone.
Both the Mearses face charges of trafficking in hydrocodone, and James Mears will also face additional drug-related charges to be determined later, according to the news release.
After the arrest of James Wayne Mears, task force investigators traveled to his Grand Ridge residence, which he shares with Debra Lynn Evans and Patricia Nanette Phillmon, according to the news release.
At the Mears’ residence, investigators obtained permission to search the residence. Evidence was obtained to charge Debra Lynn Evans with possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, and Patricia Nanette Phillmon with trafficking in hydrocodone and possession of methamphetamine, the news release stated.
In separate drug investigation, a search warrant was served at the residence of Joseph Willard Glisson and Edna Bennett Torres, who both reside at 1266 Glisson Lane in Grand Ridge.
Warrants for the arrest of Glisson and Torres had previously been obtained during the course of the investigation for the alleged sale and delivery of marijuana. Glisson also had an active warrant for trafficking in hydrocodone, according to the news release.
During the search of the Glisson Lane residence other contraband was discovered, including 21 small marijuana plants, a large quantity of marijuana seed, bagged marijuana, two sets of scales and bags for weighing and packaging drugs, prescription medication and several firearms, the task force reported.
In addition to the active warrants, Glisson is also being charged with the cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Torres, in addition to her warrants, is also being charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia, the news release said.
The Jackson County Drug Task Force is the combined effort of the Cottondale, Graceville and Marianna police departments, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Jackson County Sheriff’’s Office.
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Reader Reactions
Yes Marianna has a black officer.His name is officer Poole.Some of these businesses that cater to dope dealers selling at their stores need to be shut down.I am talking about the Chipola Mart.I went with my wife there last week to buy cigarettes and was propositioned for drugs before I made it to the front door.These businesses know that it is going on if not then they are blind.
Airborne—-I think you are RIGHT!!!
They need to hire a task force just for meth and ok crack. The blacks in Marianna dont seem to be the ones cooking up meth in their trailers.
The cops are all good ole boys still under the Sheriff Mcdaniel theory.
The drug problem wheather it is meth,crack or cocaine is sweeping Marianna,Sneads,Grand Ridge and Chipley.
They cannot afford to hire enough people to keep up with the growing and scary problem. They need to call on the state or gov for some help. Any black officers on the force in Marianna?
Not sure but, I understand how someone like you must feel!! My stats are right.
It’s that bad!
Homeboy I don’t care what you do for a living and I never said it wasn’t a problem, nor did I say you mentioned blacks. I mentioned blacks to discredit the 1 out of 3 stat. Because whether you know it or not blacks do count as residents. So my point is that if very few black are doing meth the 1 out of 3 residents can’t be right. And your job doesn’t have you in the dope hole therefore you couldn’t have a clue. Now if you want to say 1 out of 3 drug arrest are for meth then you could be right. But I agree that it is a very big problem here among other drugs like crack and cocaine. If this county hired more professional officers that know how to treat people they would get a lot more help from the community. I definitely would help out more if I didn’t have to deal with the same officers that treated me like a suspect just because I’m black. I’m a veteran of the U.S. Army and college educated but I get followed pulled over and harassed like some of these knuckle heads that its obvious to see their drug dealers. The towns so small its easy to know their backgrounds. If they graduated high school or not, do they have a job or some documented income to explain how they can pay for some of the things they like to show off.Not sure how to go about the meth problem as a whole but the crack and cocaine could be shut down if they hired some black officers to patrol the black neighborhoods and attended the churches over here and lived over here. They would easily here thru the grapevine who is doing what when and where. But if you treat a whole community like criminals and less than citizens they aren’t going to help even if they wanted to, and most do. I guess that would apply to the trailer parks too. What do you think Homeboy?
Look at the age of just the people getting arrested for meth laqte 30’s,40’s and 50’s…pathetic. No one said anything about blacks…everyday in the paper another drug arrest…that’s just the one’s they happen to catch only because the cops pulled them over for something else.
Crystal Meth is a BIG BIG problem in Jackson County and any of you can deny it if you want but, that won’t make it go away. It’s called the “redneck crack” because it is cheap and easy to make. Bigger cities do not have the problem with it that the small towns do.
I should know and I certainly know my stats since I do this for a living.
1 in every 3 isn’t even close to being accurate. I dont want to say none at all, but I dont know any blacks that use meth and out of the 25 to 30 whites I know maybe 2 or three use it.
Well, i just think that Sheriff Roberts is doing a great job in the short time he’s been in office. I thibk if we allow him more time, this problem will be fixed to the best of his abilities, considering that it is such a widespread problem in Jackson County. Sheriff Roberts keep up the good work!!!!
I just dont believe homeboys numbers. As a life long resident of Marianna, I find the thought that 33% of residents are meth users. Do you realize that is in the neighborhood of 15,000 people. Not being a resident of this county I am kind of as a loss that you(honeboy) can state the depth of the problem with such conviction. I dont doubt that there is a problem but I can assure you that it is not as rampant as you describe
I did not deny it I just said show me your documentation.Nobody knows more than me about the drug problem but I think that the drug problem as a whole is bad not just one drug such as chrystal meth.Prescription drug crimes are at all time high.The problem with crack is not getting any better.Marijuana use is steadily climbing.So you can’t single out one drug.It is a problem as a whole.How are we going to combat it.Seems that Sheriff Roberts has the right idea.
Oh, OK but, denial does not help the big meth problem in Marianna today. It is quite obvious without stats of any kind. Marianna was listed 6 in the country in a survey of meth taking over
small town america. I do not live in Marianna but, grew up there and recently went to a high school reunion and saw that almost everyone that was still living in Marianna was using it. They were using it in the open like it was legal. The other reasons are I work for the show intervention that to my suprise get hundreds of letters from the Jackson County area—-even from some scholl officials asking for our help. I’m just trying to help so please don’t attack me. If you can figure out a way I could help let me know.
Hey HomeBoy when you post articles in a public forum such as this it might help to have corrabberating evidence to back up your claims.If you have these claims then produce them.The one out of three claim has no merit that I can find anywhere on the net or any publication.
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