Three Sentenced in “Operation Ice Pick” Meth Trafficking Investigation

January 22, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Three people indicted last summer in a major methamphetamine trafficking operation called “Operation Ice Pick” were sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Wednesday, January 18.

32-year-old Tara R. Treadway of Smithville, charged with two counts of meth 300 grams or more – conspiracy entered a plea to conspiracy to possess in excess of 0.5 grams of methamphetamine and received a 10-year sentence in the Tennessee Department of Corrections to serve at least 30% before parole eligibility. The second count has been dismissed. The term is to run consecutively to a White County Criminal Court case against her and concurrently with a Cumberland County case. She was fined $2,000 and given jail credit of 189 days.

30-year-old Phillip Joe Potter of Roy Webb Road, McMinnville, charged with two counts of meth 300 grams or more – conspiracy entered a plea to conspiracy to possess over 0.5 grams of methamphetamine and received an 8-year suspended sentence to run concurrently with a Warren County case against him. He must forfeit any property seized by the investigating agency. Potter was fined $2,000 and given jail credit of 147 days.

45-year-old Amy L. Hall of New Hope Road, Alexandria, charged with two counts of meth 300 grams or more – conspiracy entered a plea to conspiracy to sell over 0.5 grams of methamphetamine and received an 8-year sentence all suspended to TDOC probation with release eligibility of 30%. She was fined $2,000.

Treadway, Potter, and Hall were among nine people indicted in a special session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury in June 2022 charging them with conspiracy to sell and deliver more than 300 grams of methamphetamine following an eight month long undercover investigation started by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department into a major local drug trafficking operation.

The TBI and other agencies later joined the sheriff’s department in the probe from February to October 2021 called “Operation Ice Pick” in which drug buys were made through confidential informants.

Meanwhile, another man charged in a separate drug investigation was also sentenced Wednesday.

54-year-old Dickie Ray Bain of Petty Road, Smithville entered a plea to sale of a schedule II drug (Methamphetamine) over 0.5 grams for an offense committed in December 2020. He received an 11-year TDOC sentence to serve at least 30% before parole eligibility as a range one offender. Bain was fined $2,000 and given jail credit of 324 days.

Bain was among several people named in grand jury sealed indictments in December 2021 following a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department undercover drug investigation over a two-year period (2020-21). Most of the charges involved the illegal sale of Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, Heroin and other drugs.

59-year-old James Allison entered a plea to a second offense of driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended after he served 45 days. He will lose his driver license for two years. Allison must also pay a $600 fine, attend DUI school, and undergo an alcohol and drug assessment.

49-year-old Marcie Alsobrooks entered a plea to reckless driving and received a sentence of five months and 29 days all suspended to supervised probation.

In other cases, a Woodbury man charged with breaking into a garage and stealing a motorcycle on Tubb Street in Liberty in November 2019 was sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Wednesday, January 18.

30-year-old Dustin Nichols entered a plea to burglary and received a two-year sentence to serve concurrently with a Cannon County TDOC sentence. He was given jail credit from November 27, 2019 to January 18, 2023.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on November 27, 2019 Nichols broke into a garage through a window and altered an ignition switch to a 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan before stealing the motorcycle. The bike was valued at $2,500 and damage to the ignition was over $1,000. A detective investigated the case.

24-year-old Deviyon Quawnyah Johnson-Griffin entered a plea to theft of property over $1,000 and criminal simulation. He received a two-year sentence in the theft case and one year for the criminal simulation to run consecutively for a total of three years but suspended to supervised probation. He was given jail credit from September 22, 2022 to January 18, 2023.

Sheriff Ray said that on September 22, 2022 this man tried to cash a forged check in the amount of $2,070.52, at Liberty State Bank in Liberty, from Cedar City RV. It was confirmed by the company that the check was forged. The case was investigated by a detective with the Sheriff’s Department with assistance from Alexandria Police Chief Chris Russell.

38-year-old Tabatha Marie Batey entered a plea to fraudulent use of a credit/debit card and received a two-year sentence all suspended to supervised probation to run concurrently with CPS probation. She must make restitution of $3,631. Sheriff Ray said that from February 28 to March 14 Batey used someone else’s debit/credit card taking the amount of $3,613.

28-year-old Dustin Sullivan entered a best interest plea to burglary and received a sentence of two years suspended to TDOC supervised probation as a range one offender. He was given jail credit of 114 days.

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