Tip from school leads to Benton Co. drug bust
This video is no longer available.
BENTON COUNTY, Tenn. — Two people in Benton County are set to face a judge next week after being charged following a Thursday drug bust. The sheriff’s office says they received a tip that one of them was receiving a particular drug through the mail. Benton County Sheriff Kenny Christopher says their investigation led them to the two after receiving information from the Camden High School resource officer that synthetic drugs were making their way into the school system. Officers then went forward with their investigation. “Synthetic marijuana was being brought into the schools,” Christopher said. He says the street value of what was recovered is estimated at $5,000. Deputies say Charles Hilliard and Desiree Douglas had approximately 18 marijuana plants, several pounds of cannabis, and drug paraphernalia in their attic. An investigator in the case received information that Hilliard was obtaining synthetic marijuana through the mail. On Thursday, the sheriff’s department received word from the post office that they would be delivering a package to a home on North Church Street in Camden. “They sat and watched until Mr. Hilliard came home, implemented a search warrant at that time, went in and found approximately 18 marijuana plants,” Christopher said. Josh Reed lives a few houses away and explains what he saw during the search. “I seen them pull the unmarked diesel up there and backed it to the front door and just started bringing garbage bags out.” Christopher is happy his officers were able to keep this out of the schools. “That was good that they could get something that would actually pertain to our schools, protect our children,” Christopher told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News. Danny Barham has a son who is a freshman at Camden High School, and he says he is happy as well. “We definitely don’t wanna hear of instances like this here in Camden. It’s alarming, especially when you have kids that attend here in school,” Barham said. The sheriff says both Hilliard and Douglas are charged with drug manufacturing along with child abuse and neglect. Hilliard also was charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon. Both were released on $25,000 bond and will be arraigned next Wednesday in general sessions court in Benton County.
