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Five arrested in meth bust
Staff report
Ice A 10-10
Some of the drugs allegedly found by CNT agents during the bust. - photo by Provided

SAVANNAH — Five people are in custody after a methamphetamine ring between Bryan, Chatham and Effingham counties was brought down earlier this week.
In a sting operation between the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT), Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Bryan County Sheriff’s Office and the Richmond Hill Police Department, more than 2 ounces of crystal methamphetamine, a half a pound of marijuana, numerous prescription pills and one firearm were seized. The seized drugs have an estimated street value of up to $6,000.
The operation began on Oct. 2 with the execution of a search warrant on Lewis Drive in Richmond Hill, where officers seized methamphetamine. Travis Stacey and Hayley Anderson were arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to distribute.
On Oct. 3, CNT with the assistance of the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office arrested William Frank “Nitty” Davis and Amber Oliver following a traffic stop. Davis and Oliver were charged with trafficking methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance.
Additionally, both are expected to be charged by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office on various felony related offenses, including conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substance Act and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with this investigation.
Both Davis and Oliver were on felony probation for methamphetamine related charges at the time of the arrest.
Finally Oct. 4, CNT with the assistance of the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office arrested Roger “Dirty Rog” Lewis following a traffic stop. Lewis was charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and felony possession of marijuana.
Lewis is currently on parole for methamphetamine related charges.
CNT Agent Gene Harley said the success of the operation was a direct result of law enforcement agencies working together.

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Later yall, its been fun
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This is among the last pieces I’ll ever write for the Bryan County News.

Friday is my last day with the paper, and come June 1 I’m headed back to my native Michigan.

I moved here in 2015 from the Great Lake State due to my wife’s job. It’s amicable, but she has since moved on to a different life in a different state, and it’s time for me to do the same.

My son Thomas, an RHHS grad as of Saturday, also is headed back to Michigan to play basketball for a small school near Ann Arbor called Concordia University. My daughter, Erin, is in law school at University of Toledo. She had already begun her college volleyball career at Lourdes University in Ohio when we moved down here and had no desire to leave the Midwest.

With both of them and the rest of my family up north, there’s no reason for me to stay here. I haven’t missed winter one bit, but I’m sure I won’t miss the sand gnats, either.

Shortly after we arrived here in 2015, I got a job in communications with a certain art school in Savannah for a few short months. It was both personally and professionally toxic and I’ll leave it at that.

In March 2016 I signed on with the Bryan County News as assistant editor and I’ve loved every minute of it. My “first” newspaper career, in the late 80s and early 90s, was great. But when I left it to work in politics and later with a free-market think tank, I never pictured myself as an ink-stained wretch again.

Like they say, never say never.

During my time here at the News, I’ve covered everything that came along. That’s one big difference between working for a weekly as opposed to a daily paper. Reporters at a daily paper have a “beat” to cover. At a weekly paper like this, you cover … life. Sports, features, government meetings, crime, fundraisers, parades, festivals, successes, failures and everything in between. Oh, and hurricanes. Two of them. I’ll take a winter blizzard over that any day.

Along the way I’ve met a lot of great people. Volunteers, business owners, pastors, students, athletes, teachers, coaches, co-workers, first responders, veterans, soldiers and yes, even some politicians.

And I learned that the same adrenalin rush from covering “breaking news” that I experienced right out of college is still just as exciting nearly 30 years later.

With as much as I’ve written about the population increase and traffic problems, at least for a few short minutes my departure means there will be one less vehicle clogging up local roads. At least until I pass three or four moving vans headed this way as I get on northbound I-95.

The hub-bub over growth here can be humorous, unintentional and ironic all at once. We often get comments on our Facebook page that go something like this: “I’ve lived here for (usually less than five years) and the growth is out of control! We need a moratorium on new construction.”

It’s like people who move into phase I of “Walden Woods” subdivision after all the trees are cleared out and then complain about trees being cut down for phase II.

Bryan County will always hold a special place in my heart and I definitely plan on visiting again someday. My hope is that my boss, Jeff Whitten (one of the best I’ve ever had), will let me continue to be part of the Pembroke Mafia Football League from afar. If the Corleone family could expand to Vegas, there’s no reason the PMFL can’t expand to Michigan.

But the main reason I want to return someday is about that traffic issue. After all, I’ll need to see it with my own eyes before I’ll believe that Highway 144 actually got widened.

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