x
Breaking News
More () »

7 arrested, identified and charged in Elko "trap house" case

Four men and three women were arrested and taken to the Houston County Detention Center.

ELKO, Ga. — The  Houston County Sheriff's Office has identified the seven people arrested for running a "trap house" in Elko. 

Deputies seized suspected drugs from the alleged "trap house" on Nov. 3, according to Houston County District Attorney William Kendall.

It happened around 9:45 a.m. at 332 State Route 26 in the southwest region of the county.

Kendall said the property "became a place of interest of criminal activity in Elko" due to the volume of community tips and concerns about the area. 

"We found multiple people living in various sheds in part of the residence here located at this compound," Kendall said. 

Some of them, he said, were arrested on drug charges, "which include possession with intent and then three who had outstanding warrants in other states and other counties," including Dooly County and Texas, Kendall said.

Four men and three women were arrested and taken to the Houston County Detention Center.

RELATED: Houston County deputies raid suspected Elko 'trap house,' arrest 7 people

"It's commonly known people who use drugs often look older than they actually are," the district attorney said. "It would appear that most of everybody taken into custody this morning was at least in their late twenties, ranging up to their 50s and early 60s."

The arrested have been identified as 74-year-old Larry Passmore, 68-year-old Johnny B. Brooks, 48-year-old Andrew McBride, 62-year-old Susan Brumley, 54-year-old Andora Ross, 22-year-old Destiny Chambers, and 58- year-old Terrell Lester.

According to the jail website, Passmore is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent and possession of drug-related objects.

McBride is also charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent, possession of drug-related objects and possession of a firearm or knife during crime. 

Brumley is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent, possession of a firearm or knife during certain crimes, possession of firearms-convicted felons and possession of drug-related objects. 

Ross is charged with possession of methamphetamine.

Chambers is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent and possession of drug-related objects. 

Lester is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent and possession of drug-related objects. 

The website did not list charges for Brooks at this time.

The district attorney's office worked with Houston County Sheriff Deputies and special deputy sheriffs assigned to the counter-narcotics task force to search the home sitting beside a cotton field.

"There have been two shootings this year here, there has been illegal drug activity that's been reported, and complaints have been made by surrounding neighbors and people in the community," Kendall said 

One of the shootings was connected with the Crisp County deputy killed in July.

RELATED: Two months after being killed, one Crisp County school honors fallen deputy Tyee Browne

Croshawn Gerard Cross was charged with the murder of Deputy Tyee Browne and other crimes. 

"Despite his life sentence out of Crisp County, we are still prosecuting him for crimes committed here before killing Deputy Browne," Kendall said. 

That includes Burglary in the First Degree, Theft by Taking, Aggravated Assault (two counts), Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony (two counts) and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, according to a partial copy of the indictment. 

"He is charged with shooting at the 332 residence," Kendall said. 

More details about the alleged connection between the house and the death of Tyee Brown could not be shared, the district attorney said, because the investigation is pending.

When 13WMAZ reached out to the Crisp County Sheriff's Office, they said they weren't aware of the Elko arrests or the possible connection.

The second shooting was connected to a man shot in the leg at the residence in September. 

Kendall said there are "plenty of places in the county" that are known as "trap houses."

"Where people here have user amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, things like that," he said. "Quite frankly, they're kind of a nuisance."

Before You Leave, Check This Out