DeKalb County crime update

Arrest tile; handcuff tile; handcuffs tile
Arrest tile; handcuff tile; handcuffs tile
photo Eric Shane Freeman

Four people have been arrested this week in DeKalb County, according to a news release from the Sheriff's Office.

Eric Shane Freeman, 48, of Sylvania was arrested on Tuesday, July 18 after Sylvania police and the DeKalb County Drug Task Force initially arrived to serve federal arrest warrants for trafficking marijuana and illegal possession of firearms.

Once inside the residence, officers spotted a sawed-off shotgun in plain sight. The Drug Task Force then obtained a search warrant and found a large amount of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana.

Freeman was then arrested and charged with possession of a short barrel shotgun, unlawful possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and distribution of a controlled substance.

photo Christopher Allen White

Christopher Allen White, 41, of Henagar was arrested that same day after DeKalb County deputies found marijuana in the vehicle he was driving during a traffic stop on County Road 47. The deputy asked White what the green leafy substance was in a bucket on the floor of the passenger side, to which White responded it was marijuana.

White was found to have several warrants against him with different agencies, one of which was a child support warrant with the DCSO. After police searched the vehicle and found a marijuana pipe and bucket of marijuana, White was arrested on the warrant for non-child support and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

John Christopher Hunter, 34, of Valley Head, a man the DCSO had been searching for, was also arrested. Police received a tip stating he would be in a red Buick, and they waited near his residence before making a traffic stop on a vehicle that fit the description pulling out of the driveway.

photo John Christopher Hunter

Brenda Downer Johnson, 68, of Valley Head was driving the vehicle and responded no when asked if she knew where her son was or if there was anything illegal in the car. She did not give consent to search the vehicle, so K-9 Marianna and a K-9 deputy were called to the scene to do an open air sniff of the vehicle.

After K-9 Marianna twice indicted that there were drugs in the vehicle, a search was conducted, during which Hunter was found in the trunk.

photo Brenda Downer Johnson

Hunter was arrested on his 14 outstanding warrants ranging from failure to appear, traffic violation, probation violation to attempting to elude and charged with resisting arrest. Johnson was also arrested and charged with hindering prosecution.

"We are proud of the DeKalb County Drug Task Force and deputies for the hard work that they do to rid drugs from our county, and thanks to the Sylvania police officers and Chief John Seals for helping us make it possible," Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson said in the release. "We continue to make arrests all over the county with the assistance of other agencies, our K-9s and tips from our website. All of these are an essential part of making these types of arrests day and night."

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