Sikeston drug sweep aims to quiet streets

SIKESTON, Mo. -- In an effort to get more illegal drugs off the streets before the start of summer, law enforcement officers have arrested 11 Sikeston and Dexter, Mo., residents and charged four others already in various jails.

Drew Juden, director of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, said the drug sweep in Sikeston removed "some of these bad actors off the street" in advance of summer. "Hopefully, it will make it a quieter summer for us," he said.

The series of arrests, which began on Tuesday, followed a six-month investigation in which undercover officers bought powder and crack cocaine, pharmaceutical pills, marijuana and methamphetamine.

About 35 Sikeston Department of Public Safety officers and Scott County sheriff's deputies were involved in making arrests Tuesday.

A Missouri National Guard helicopter flew overhead in case suspects tried to flee. Juden said he regularly calls on the National Guard to provide helicopter surveillance and air cover.

"It is not unusual for them to be in here six or seven times a year," Juden said. "Obviously, an agency our size can't afford to own our own helicopter."

Sikeston residents arrested were Jason Sheron, 18; Reginald Hopkins, 18; Daron Robinson, 29; Charles Nichols, 44; Belinda Parr-Greer, 40; Christy Burgess, 21; Tim Gross, 24; Reno Jones, 19; Nicholas Rhodes, 20; and Derrick Scott, 26. Chastity Savat, 23, of Dexter also was arrested. All face various drug charges ranging from possession of a controlled substance to drug trafficking.

The suspects were in custody on Wednesday, with bonds as high as $500,000.

Also charged were already jailed suspects Torress Baker, 20; Julius Jackson, 21; Edward McClinton, 20; and Michael Payne, 20, all of Sikeston.

Juden said all the arrests came in Sikeston.

"They were arrested at their homes, walking down the street and in vehicle stops," he said.

Late Wednesday, law enforcement officers still were searching for seven other suspects.

Police are seeking Sikeston residents Tappy Dunkin, 25; Jeremy Suver, 24; Rufus Sumlin III, 25; Ramone White, 26; Ricky Westbrook, 30; and Matthew Burchfield, 19; and rural Oran resident Eric Peet, 20. All but Sumlin are wanted on drug distribution charges. Sumlin is wanted on rape charges.

Juden said it's too early to tell if the arrests have cut into drug trafficking in Sikeston. Some of the arrested suspects have prior criminal records; others are first-time offenders.

The arrests only added to an already crowded Scott County Jail. The county jail is built to hold 48 prisoners, but the sheriff's department has well over 100 in custody. The sheriff's department relies on other city and county jails in Southeast Missouri to hold the overflow of prisoners with Scott County picking up the $30 to $35 a day cost per prisoner.

The Scott County Sheriff's Department had to relocate some of its prisoners to other jails to make room for those arrested in Tuesday's drug sweep.

"We are just stacking them on top," said Lt. Jim Chambers at the county jail in Benton, Mo. "Luckily, some of the other jails are not as full and they are able to take some of our overflow."

A new 120-bed jail is under construction in Scott County and scheduled for completion early next year.

Chambers said the arrests won't put an end to drug trafficking in Sikeston. "This isn't going away. This is not slowing down any," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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