Two more Sampson County residents are in jail this weekend facing felony meth and misdemeanor child abuse charges after citizen complaints led law enforcement officers to two homemade labs and the paraphernalia used to manufacture the drug.
The two labs and the arrests of those involved in each incident are not believed to be linked.
Taken into custody Thursday in connection with the second of two meth labs discovered this week were Monica Grace Dawson, 31, of 575 Hollandtown Road, Salemburg and Norman Raeford Faircloth, 34, of the same address. Both are in the Sampson County Detention Center under separate $100,000 bond, taken into custody late Thursday after investigators linked the pair to a meth lab found on the 575 Hollandtown property.
Dawson is charged with one count possession of methamphetamine, one count of manufacturing meth/maintaining a dwelling; and three misdemeanor counts of child abuse. Faircloth is facing similar charges — one count of manufacturing meth, one count maintaining a dwelling for the sale of a controlled substance; and 3 misdemeanor counts of child abuse.
Sampson Sheriff’s Capt. Eric Pope said the child abuse charges were leveled because of the exposure of Dawson’s children to the dangers of the meth lab.
Acting on citizen complaints, officers discovered two meth labs Wednesday, one at 1881 Harnett Church Road, the other at Hollandtown Road.
At both locations, labs were discovered, along with assorted cooking paraphernalia, some of it located in wooded areas behind the residences. Investigators and fire officials dismantled the labs and seized bottles and other materials believed to be used in the cooking of the illegal substance.
Officers arrested Johnny M. Williams, 53, of 1881 Harnett Church Road, Roseboro, late Wednesday, charging him with manufacturing methamphetamine and maintaining a vehicle/dwelling place for the sale or storage of a controlled substance. He, too, remains in jail this weekend under a $100,500 bond.
In addition to Williams, Jonathan Naylor and Brittany McLeod were charged on citation and released when Special Investigation Division deputies discovered the meth lab the Harnett Church Road residence. The two, Pope said, were at the location when the deputies arrived.
Naylor, 28, of 1590 Ozzie Road, Clinton was cited for simple possession of a Schedule II controlled substance. McLeod, 23, of 50 Allen Poole Road, Bear Creek, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, simple possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and simple possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance. Both are scheduled to appear in court on those charges March 27.
Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton extolled the hard work of his officers and State Bureau of Investigations agents, all, he said, who spent countless hours at both locations gathering evidence and cleaning up the labs.
“We had four at the first scene and five at the other scene,” Thornton said Thursday, adding that there were also three SBI agents at both scenes as well.
“Once the firs scene was cleared, those officers then went to the second scene. It took a lot of time and effort, but it is well worth it when you shut down these labs,” the sheriff stressed.
In all, officers were on the scenes from mid-morning Wednesday until around 5:30 a.m. Thursday. Personnel from the department’s SID, along with road deputies, SBI agents and firefighters with the Salemburg Fire Department were involved in the investigation and cleanup.
The sheriff offered his praise to all the officers involved for their diligence in working the case, and he thanked citizens for providing tips that help officers discover labs and remove them from the county’s midst.
“It takes that kind of diligence to work these scenes and gather the evidence. And, of course, we cannot do any of this without the help of citizen willing to come forward and provide us information. We always need their help … those tips and complaints make a difference in our ability to find these people and stop this problem.”
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