Tip leads to drug arrests
Published 11:59 pm Friday, November 13, 2009
Thanks to a confidential tip and fast action by law enforcement, two people are in jail on drug charges after they were caught allegedly selling drugs from Florala’s Lakeview Motel.
Florala Police Chief Sonny Bedsole said the incident occurred about 11:30 p.m. Thursday, when officers “got information from a confidential source that said there was a guy selling drugs out of room No. 4.”
“The source said outright he had witnessed a sale, and that is unacceptable in Florala,” Bedsole said.
Bedsole said he then contacted the Alabama Beverage Control Board for its assistance in performing an “undercover buy.”
“Agent Marvin Williford, acting in an undercover capacity, went in and bought four Lortabs from Willie Jo Cook,” he said. “When the purchase was complete, officers headed back and knocked on the door. Cook opened the door and was taken into custody.”
Cook, 32, of Honoraville, Ala., is charged with distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the Covington County Jail and held on a $23,000 bond.
Bedsole said a female, later identified as Tammy Thomas, 38, of Laurel Hill, Fla., was also in the room. She was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia and held on a $13,000 bond.
“This was a case of knowing that the suspect was only going to be there for a short period of time and it was a tip that had to be acted on quickly,” he said.
Bedsole said anyone who suspects drug activity in Florala is asked to call his office at 334-858-3245.