Law enforcement officers across the county are making a number of drug arrests Tuesday as part of a six- to eight-month long investigation by the Cowley County Drug Task Force, Winfield Police Lt. Frank Owens said.
Working from a command center on the second floor of the Winfield Police Department, officers were moving through a list of approximately 20 people targeted for arrest. Those on the list have sold drugs to a police informant one or more times during the course of the investigation, Owens said.
Some of the informants helped police in exchange for reducing criminal charges they faced, while others were paid for their services. Once the task force makes a case against a suspect, the information is forwarded to the county attorney and an arrest warrant is issued.
“We like to make all the arrests at once if we can,” Owens said. “That’s what we’ll be trying to do today.”
Arrests were being made in Arkansas City, Winfield and Wichita. Police departments in Ark City, Winfield and officers with the Cowley County Sheriff’s Department were helping to make the arrests.
Names and photos for those facing charges are being posted on the local cable television station in Winfield. Drugs purchased by informants during the investigation include small quantities of marijuana and up to an ounce of meth or cocaine.
A pair of burglary cases was also resolved as part of the drug probe, Owens said. The drug task force tries to execute a wave of arrests at least one time per year, he said.
The task force released the following list of suspects expected to be arrested Tuesday: Joseph M. Reynolds, Laramie Miller, David Wixon, Michael Fagan, Shawn Mantz, Jamie Perkins, Autumn B. Wooten, Garrett Weishaar, Glen Dale Berry, Gregory Chattam, Jesse Ian Adcock, Schylur Watson, Jessica Saenz, Felisha Mahoney, Wanda Steward, Genna D. Wooten, Rachel A. Whitlock, Kimberly Sartin, Patricia Dickey and Michael Rowe.
