Confessed Cocaine Dealer
Fined $1 .2 Million, Given 35 Years
A man described by a narcotics
officer as one of the area's "mid-lev
el" cocaine dealers was sentenced to
35 years in prison and fined $1.2
million last week after pleading
guilty in Brunswick County
Superior Court to 10 counts of co
caine trafficking.
The defendant, Timothy Terry
Ballard, 33, of Route 1, Leland. was
the target of an investigation by the
Brunswick County Sheriff's
Department dating back nearly a
year, said narcotics Officer Mike
Speck. Undercover agents made nu
merous purchases of powdered co
caine from Ballard, ranging from
small amounts to quantities in ex
cess of a pound.
Judge Joe Freeman Britt gave
Ballard the mandatory sentence of
seven years in prison and a
$250,000 fine on each of five counts
of trafficking cocaine in excess of
400 grams. On his plea of guilty to
five charges of trafficking between
28 and 200 grams of cocaine.
Ballard was given a prayer for judg
ment continued "day to day, term to
term until scheduled for sentencing
by the state." <
By pleading guilty to all ten traf
ficking charges. Ballard could have
received a maximum sentence of
275 years in prison. He agreed to a
plea bargain arrangement in which
some charges were dropped and oth
ers were consolidated for judgment.
In district court last week. Ballard
pleaded guilty to a charge of assault
ing a government official and was
given a concurrent two-year sen
tence.
Ballard was also ordered to pay
SI 5. 100 restitution to the State
Bureau of Investigation and $1,(XH)
for his court-appointed attorney.
In other superior court action last
week:
BJohn Robert Cuff Jr., 17, of
More Indictments,
Drug Arrests Continue
'Operation War Paint'
The Brunswick County Clerk of
Superior Court has released the
names of more people charged in the
sealed grand jury indictments issued
as part of a county-wide crack down
on illegal drug sales that has resulted
in more than 20 recent felony ar
rests.
By Friday afternoon, sheriff's de
partment narcotics officers had
picked up most of those named in
the new indictments. The remaining
suspects were expected to be arrest
ed over the weekend.
In a four-month investigation
called "Operation War Paint," the
Brunswick County Sheriff's Depart
ment videotaped numerous drug
dealers making illegal sales to un
dercover sources. That evidence was
taken to a grand jury on Nov. 8.
An unreleased number of the re
sulting indictments were ordered
sealed by Superior Court Judge
Freeman Britt to prevent suspects
from fleeing the area before law en
forcement officers could pick them
up.
Beginning Nov. 10, Brunswick
deputies, detectives and narcotics
officers raided areas frequented by
drug dealers in the Longwood,
Cedar Grove, Phoenix and South
port areas. Many of the suspects
named in the indictments were
picked up at those locations. Others
were arrested at their homes and in
traffic stops set up near the trouble
spots.
Narcotics Officer Mike Speck
called "Operation War Paint" a suc
cess and said it was "merely phase
one of an effort that will be ongo
ing." He said he has heard "excel
lent feedback" from residents of the
communities targeted in the drug
raids and traffic stops.
"They want something done and
we're going to try to accommodate
them," Speck said.
Charged in indictments released
last week ? not all from Operation
War Paint ? were:
?Tim Carter of Mill Drive, Ash,
on one count of possession with in
tent to sell and deliver cocaine and
one count of selling and delivering
cocaine.
?Lacy Fitzgerald Ballard, 29. of
Route 1, Leland, on one count of
possession with intent to sell and de
liver cocaine and one charge of sell
ing and delivering cocaine.
?Robert Keith York, 22, of 20th
Street. Long Beach, on a charge of
possession with intent to sell and de
liver cocaine and one count of sell
ing and delivering cocaine.
?Ronnie Cleveland Perry, 31, of
Queen Street, Wilmington, on one
count of conspiracy to traffic and
sell between 28 and 200 grams of
cocaine.
?Jimmy Davis Hunter, 33, of
Walker Street, Leland. on five
counts of conspiracy to sell and de
liver marijuana and one charge each
of possession with intent to sell and
deliver marijuana, selling and deliv
ering marijuana and possession with
intent to manufacture, sell and deliv
er 609 grams of marijuana.
?James Edison Garrell, 34. of
Walker Street, Leland. on one count
each of possession with intent to
manufacture, sell and deliver mari
juana, possession with intent to sell
and deliver marijuana, selling and
delivering marijuana and maintain
ing a dwelling to keep and sell mari
juana.
?Florencio Martinez Rios, 33, of
Currie on five counts of conspiracy
to sell and deliver marijuana.
?Stephanie Cheek Tipton, 38, of
Shallotie on a charge of obtaining a
controlled substance by fraud. She is
accused of obtaining the drug chlor
diazepoxide from a Shallotte phar
macy by calling a Shallotte pharma
cy and representing herself as a
nurse in a local doctor's office.
?Pennie Cotton Wrightenberry,
31, of Supply on a charge of obtain
ing a controlled substance by fraud.
She is accused of acquiring the drug
hydrocodone by representing herself
by the name of another person.
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Shallottc was sentenced to nine
years in prison after pleading guilty
to three counts of larceny and two
charges of breaking and entering.
An additional six-year sentence was
suspended on the condition that he
pay restitution to his victims, court
costs and $450 in court appointed at
torney fees. Within 10 months of his
release. Cuff was ordered to perform
200 hours of community service. He
will be put on five years' supervised
probation.
?Olarry Lampkins II. 23, of Rock
Creek Road, Leland. was sentenced
to eight years in prison after plead
ing guilty to one count each of
forgery, larceny and breaking and
entering. He was ordered to pay
court costs and $250 in attorney
fees.
?Paul Donald Andrews. 42. of
Alpine Place, Bolivia, was sen
tenced to five years after pleading
guilty to breaking and entering and
larceny. He was ordered to pay court
costs, $125 in attorney fees and
restitution to his victim.
?Richard Alvey Partello III, 24,
of Southport was sentenced to five
years on his plea of guilty to charges
of breaking and entering and driving
while impaired. He was ordered to
pay court costs and $4<X) in attorney
fees.
?Christian Donald Partello, 18, of
Southport was sent to prison for five
years after pleading guilty to charges
of breaking and larceny. He was or
dered to pay $2,447 restitution and
court costs.
?Christopher Eugene Porter, 17,
of Davis Road. Winnabow, was sen
tenced to three years after pleading
guilty to three counts of larceny and
three counts of breaking and enter
ing. An additional 15-year sentence
was suspended on the condition that
he pay restitution, court costs and
$500 attorney fees. After his release,
Porter will be put on five years' su
pervised probation and required to
perform 200 hours of community
service.
?lamie Damon Huff, 17, of
Cloverleaf Mobile Home Park,
Leland, was sentenced to '?5 days in
Brunswick County Jail after plead
ing guilty to larceny and breaking
and entering. A 10-year prison sen
tence was suspended on the condi
lion that he pay restitution, court
costs and $500 in attorney fees.
After his release. Huff will be put on
five years' probation and be re
quired to perforin 200 hours of com
munity service.
HAdolph Holmes Jr., 27, of
Shallotte was sentenced to 30 days
in Brunswick County Jail after he
pleaded guilty to a charge of larceny.
He was given a five-year .sentence,
suspended on the condition that he
pay $1,892 restitution. S2CKJ in attor
ney fees and court costs. He was put
on three years' supervised probation
and ordered to perform 175 hours of
community services.
Slack Norman Williamson, 57, of
Route 1, Leland. was found not
guilty of taking indecent liberties.
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