People inside a house that neighbors have complained is the center of drug activity were surprised Monday morning when law enforcement officials stormed in.
In a joint operation, the Columbia Police Department and Marion County Sheriff’s Office hit at 1012 Pinehurst Ave., which is off Park Avenue in the north part of the city. They brought eight people outside and later charged two of them. Another person received a citation.
Columbia Police Chief Michael Kelly said he had received complaints about the home since he took office March 12.
“About two weeks ago, right after I took office, several people from this neighborhood came in and spoke to me,” he said. “I came in and visited with some of the folks that live on the street, and I heard the same story from everybody, that the people who live in this house were moving lots of narcotics, prostitution and a lot of criminal activity. The neighbors were concerned because there are children; you can see them out playing in the neighborhood, and they wanted it taken care of.”
Kelly said the home had previously been under investigation.
“Our narcotics officer had been working a case on an individual that is known to stay here at this residence,” he said. “We already had some reason to dig further into what we did today. We worked hard over the past few weeks to build a good solid case, get a search warrant and hopefully, we’ll begin to clean this street up today.”
Officers and deputies rolled up on the house taking the residents by surprise, breaking in the door and executing the warrant.
Kelly said officers seized methamphetamine and marijuana as well as several scales, baggies, pipes and other paraphernalia. An undisclosed amount of cash was also seized.
Arrested in the raid were:
• Jerry Jefferson, 35, of Columbia, who had a cash-only contempt of court charge on fines totaling $2,225.50
• Daniel Winters, 45, of Columbia, who was charged with possession of a schedule I-II drug, less than 1 gram and paraphernalia, use of possession with intent. His bond was set at $2,000; $1,000 on each charge.
“We really appreciate the Marion County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team helping us with this operation,” Kelly said. “We hope to work closely with them on future cases in the city and the county.”
MCSO Capt. Pete Williams agreed, saying working together for a common goal is good for both entities.
“Chief Kelly approached us about a narcotic house that they were dealing with and receiving complaints on,” he said. “We utilized our SWAT team for the entry. We’ve been here before. They had reinforced the front door to try and make things a little more difficult for us, but the good guys always win. This is a city investigation, and we’re here to assist them. Chief Kelly wants to make it know to the drug dealers, as we do in the county, that we’re going to be working together to eradicate the narcotics in Marion County.”
Pictured Above: Daniel Winters of Columbia is dragged from the home by Columbia Police Department Cpl. Victor Davila Monday morning. | Photo by Mark Rogers
Editor's Note: This story has been edited on March 30, 2018, to reflect that one of the people initially listed as being charged was listed incorrectly.
