A month-long investigation has resulted in the arrests of a “baker’s dozen” of northeast Iowans on a variety of narcotics charges.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and West Union Police Department jointly executed a series of search warrants July 11 to 14th. The first arrest apparently actually came to them when, at about 3:30 am on July 11th, 29-year-old Ryan Smith of Elgin was allegedly drunk when he drove up to a deputy at the Elgin Fire Department. In addition to OWI, a search of Smith’s vehicle found distribution amounts of meth, multiple grams of marijuana, and a scale.
Smith faces four felony drug charges and his arrest led to additional warrants for narcotic searches in Elgin and West Union, resulting in various drug charges against 61-year-old Bryon Smith of Elgin, and 51-year-old Jeff Blue, 23-year-old Drake Duffield, 38-year-old Nathan Slaughter, and Misty Marie June Cook, all of West Union.
Other controlled substances recovered in the raids included morphine, THC wax, and heroin. Ledgers, scales, loaded syringes, pill crushers, baggies, and other paraphernalia were found and seized.
The investigation also led to narcotics search warrants executed on six apartments in West Union on Friday July 14th with assistance from the Iowa State Patrol, Fayette Police Department, Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, and Postville Police Department.
Arrested on various drug charges were 29-year-old Warren Harvey, 30-year-old Ashley Murphy, 45-year-old Jodie Wakeford, 52-year-old Roger Nichols, 37-year-old Kaben Schmelzer, and 23-year-old Madison Willaims, all of West Union, plus 48-year-old Rachel Latham of Oelwein.
Fayette County Sheriff Marty Fisher expects more arrests will be made.
