Savannah police arrest 18 during drug sweep

April 30 - Savannah Police Chief Donald Derr says 18 Savannah residents were arrested on a variety of drug-related charges today.

According to Derr, the arrests came as the result of a joint operation with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) drug unit, Savannah Police Department and the Office of Inspector General.

In some cases, he says the arrests followed months of investigation.

Tactics used to gather information for today’s sweep included "controlled buys" conducted by individuals affiliated with the department, the police chief said.

To monitor habitual abusers of controlled substances, the chief says officers also obtained lists from local doctors on a weekly basis.

"Doctors have been very cooperative and we got quite a few names in Savannah," Derr says.

While Derr says Savannah police may see a few more arrests in the coming days, he says today’s drug sweep only represents a portion of an ongoing effort.

"This is something we do that’s continual," he said. "Any time we arrest large numbers, it slows things down considerably. We will keep combating it the best we can."

Some of the individuals arrested today also face similar charges with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Department.

Those arrested were:

• Charles Anderson - the sale of morphine and oxycodone

• Jonathan Wood - the sale of morphine

• Porsha Davis - the sale of morphine

• Zach Briggs - two counts sale of crack cocaine

• Kristina Franklin - the sale of hydrocodone

• Steve Davidson - the sale of Adderall and two counts sale of hydrocodone

• Jeremy Welch - the sale of hydrocodone and Adderall

• Serita Melton - possession of marijuana

• Wes Bouterie - the sale of hydrocodone

• James Davidson - the sale of Suboxone and Ecstasy