HELEN — Helen police have busted a downtown business proprietor and another person for distributing marijuana.
The arrests were made Monday, July 16, at the business, located on Chattahoochee Street, across from the Helen Arts and Heritage Center, according to Helen Police Chief Brian Stephens.
“The officers received a 9-1-1 call in reference to the smell of marijuana, or what was believed to be marijuana in the area,” Stephens told AccessWDUN. “The officers were actually eating lunch. It was Officer Drew and Investigator Cook that received the call, and they went to investigate.”
Officers contacted the caller and determined the direction of origin for the odor.
“Upon investigation of the call, they discovered that the source was coming from a business that has the name Wright The Bowl Maker,” Stephens said. “They made contact with Mr. Wright, and as they entered the building a strong smell of marijuana was present.”
Both those officers have training and experience that make them well-suited for such an investigation.
“Officer Drew has worked several narcotics cases in his career,” Stephens said. “Investigator Cook is a marijuana examiner, so he’s had additional training with marijuana, not only the testing it, but the sight, the smell. Both officers right away recognized an odor of what they believed to be marijuana.”
Wright was placed in on-site investigative detention by Drew while Cook obtained a search warrant for the premises.
“When the search warrant was executed, over eight pounds of marijuana was discovered, pre-packaged for sale, inside the shop,” Stephens said.
Additionally, officers discovered other suspected drugs and paraphernalia.
“We have some more drug items that are being tested, and we’re going to wait to see exactly what the results are before we release that,” Stephens said. “We had other paraphernalia that’s used for drug activity.”
Robert Keith Wright, 63, of Cleveland, proprietor of the business, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, felony possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, and trafficking in marijuana.
Also arrested was Jaroslava Brusova, 59, of the same address in Cleveland. She is charged with felony possession of marijuana, two counts of manufacturing a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance.
“Both of them are still in jail awaiting arraignment through superior court to have bond set,” Stephens said. “We, being the Helen Police Department, still maintain possession of the business, and right now that’s where we’re at with everything.”
The case is ongoing. As of Wednesday morning, Helen police had some 40 hours involved in the case, with the investigation ongoing.
“We anticipate some more arrests out of this, so we’re just going to wait and see how it goes,” Stephens said.
Helen is the No. 3 most-visited tourist destination in Georgia and officials just learned that Reader’s Digest has voted Helen as the most charming small town in Georgia. Stephens said he and his officers want to ensure it remains safe for those visitors, but also for the residents and those who do business in the city.
“The Helen P.D. officers are a fine, dedicated group of young men and women that are aggressively active on drug enforcement,” Stephens said. “We don’t want the drugs here. We’re going to protect the citizens of Helen. We’re going to protect the tourists of Helen. And one way that we’re going to do that is by actively going after the drug dealers and getting any type probable cause on them to make the arrests that we can.”
Stephens said this week’s bust sends a message to those who would deal drugs in Helen, whether from within the city or coming in from outside. That message is don’t do it.
“It’s a fantastic step,” Stephens said of this week’s arrests. “I’ve got dedicated officers, and the one common core we all share is the hatred for drugs. We will investigate any information about drugs and continue our aggressive enforcement of the law.”
Anyone with information about drug dealing or drug activity in Helen can call Helen Police Department at (706) 878-2722. Callers can remain confidential.
