cannabisnews.com: Coffee County Sheriff Faces Marijuana Charges










  Coffee County Sheriff Faces Marijuana Charges

Posted by FoM on October 03, 2000 at 20:03:19 PT
By Jack Warner - Staff 
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution 

Coffee County Sheriff Carlton Evans was charged today with growing marijuana as part of a 10-man ring that included his brother, his brother-in-law and seven other men. The federal charges were the result of a year long investigation by the FBI, GBI, Irwin County deputies and the Governor's Drug Task Force. Those named in the charges also included Maj. Benjamin Hodge, Evans' former chief deputy, and Dewey Wayne Harper, a former captain in the department, who were arrested last fall when GBI agents discovered more than 350 marijuana plants growing in the woods in neighboring Irwin County. 
The federal indictments charge the 10 men with conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 marijuana plants. Seven of the men are also charged with aiding and abetting the manufacture of marijuana. Evans, who presided over one of South Georgia's most prosperous counties, lost a runoff in August for his fourth term as sheriff. He was charged in both indictments, as were his brother Sage Evans, Hodge, Dewey Harper, Gary Lewis Harper, Richard Davis and Dennis Franklin Griffin. Charged only with growing the marijuana were Keith Allen Spivey, Brian Clifton Fussell and the sheriff's brother-in-law, Jerry "Pool" Powell. The charge of growing the weed with intent to distribute carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; the aiding and abetting charge can draw a maximum of 40 years in prison.Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)Author: Jack WarnerPublished: Tuesday, October 3, 2000Copyright: 2000 Cox Interactive Media.Contact: Journal: jrnledit ajc.com Constitution: conedit ajc.comWebsite: http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/Forum: http://www.accessatlanta.com/community/forums/Breaking News:Sheriff Indicted on Drug Charges is Found Dead Source: Associated Press Published: Tuesday, October 3, 2000 ©2000 Associated Press Web Site: S.F. GateURL: http://www.sfgate.com/(10-03) 19:07 PDT Douglas, Ga. (AP) A county sheriff apparently shot himself to death Tuesday after fleeing arrest on federal charges of conspiracy to grow more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana. An FBI agent and two Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents tried to arrest Coffee County Sheriff Carlton Evans at his home Tuesday morning. He fled and his body was found five hours later in a nearby wooded area, said BGI spokesman John Bankhead. Bankhead said it appeared the sheriff killed himself. ``Nobody else was seen in the area. It was one shot. Everything points to that, but it's going to be investigated,'' he said. Evans had been sheriff since 1989. Officials said Evans was charged along with his brother, his brother-in-law, two former deputies and five others. Conviction carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison and a $4 million fine. 

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Comment #6 posted by mmmmm on March 04, 2001 at 18:19:22 PT
Suicide, yeah right!
If you really think about the facts surrounding the "suicide", its pretty damn obvious Evans did not kill himself. My bet is that we will be hearing about some corrupt agents in the near future. 
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Comment #5 posted by dddd on January 24, 2001 at 05:45:18 PT
suicide?
I'd place my bet on a trigger happy agents bullet,as opposed to a self inflicted gunshot.
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Comment #4 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on January 24, 2001 at 05:22:15 PT:
Thoughts to Christopher
Suicides are always baffling to family and friends. This type of tragedy highlights another impossible aspect in the War on Drugs: its corrupting influence. It is too hard to say no to massive amounts of cash, or avoid the blackmail, extortion and other corrupting influences. The solution is simple: legalization with regulation should eliminate all but a handful of such instances.
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Comment #3 posted by Christopher on January 24, 2001 at 01:18:33 PT:
Sheriff Evans did a lot of good
I knew Sheriff Evans professionally and I can tell you he did a lot of good while he was in office. Who knows what motivated him to get involved in this mess; it is unfortunate that most will remember his demise instead of the many things he did for Coffee County....
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Comment #2 posted by fivepounder on October 04, 2000 at 07:14:59 PT

live by the sword............

Cause of death: suicide due to hypocrisy. 
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Comment #1 posted by max on October 03, 2000 at 20:37:28 PT:

too bad

HA HA
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