13 arrested Hancock County drug roundup; 5 more sought

HANCOCK COUNTY -- A roundup of suspected drug dealers led to 13 arrests by late Friday afternoon, officials said, adding that at least five other arrests were pending.

The investigation by multiple agencies involved "drugs all across the board," said Jeremy Skinner, commander of the Hancock County Narcotics Task Force.

"We went door to door to get most of them," Skinner said Friday. "Some were already behind bars on other charges when we served them with warrants."

Skinner said two of the people had been arrested in Waveland's recent roundup of people suspected of committing violent crimes.

William "Tally" Vaughn, 29, of Bay St. Louis, is a felon arrested Jan. 15 in a drive-by shooting in Waveland in December. He also is held on a state probation violation.

His new charge is sale of a controlled substance.

Drug agents filed a false pretense charge against Demarcus Hawkins, 20, of Waveland. He was recently arrested on kidnapping and armed robbery charges in Waveland.

Julian Ramirez, 32, of Kiln, was arrested on charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and felony fleeing.

Austin Schmelzer, 40, Bay St. Louis, was arrested for failure to appear in court on a charge of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Also arrested, by charge:

Sale of a controlled substance: Wilbert Ricks, 36, Waveland (5 counts); Charles Nichols, 29, Bay St. Louis; Demetris Williams, 23, Waveland; and Desiree Archer, 27, Waveland; and Rick Lewis, 39, Waveland.

Sale of a counterfeit controlled substance: Lance Davis, 26, Waveland. Possession of a controlled substance: Patricia Netto, 25, Bay St. Louis; Valerie Warren, 34, Bay St. Louis.

Failure to appear in court on a felony DUI: Brian Forstall, 59, Bay St. Louis.

The roundup was a joint effort with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Waveland Police Department.

"This is a continued effort by all local law enforcement agencies along with our state agency partners to disrupt the sale and distribution of illegal narcotics in our area," Sheriff Ricky Adam said in a written statement. "We will continue to seek out those who sell illegal drugs and charge them accordingly."

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 4:37 PM with the headline "13 arrested Hancock County drug roundup; 5 more sought ."