Stephens Co Sheriff’s Office Conducting Ongoing Effort to Stop Gang Activity
By Ethan Jordan, WNEG Radio, Toccoa
Stephens County Sheriff’s office recently conducted the first of an ongoing effort to aggressively pursue Criminal Street Gang activity in Toccoa-Stephens County.
Sheriff Randy Shirley said that as a result of a joint collaboration with a number of state and local law enforcement agencies, last week law enforcement officers were able to seize a total of 11 firearms, which consisted of semi-automatic rifles, handguns, and shotguns.
Other evidence seized were various types of controlled substances and a large quantity of Criminal Street Gang paraphernalia which identified street gang participation and activity.
As a result of the effort last week, 46-year old Charles Colbert of Toccoa was arrested and charged with possession of a schedule IV drug, 9 counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, 9 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes, misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
Colbert is currently out on a $142,000 bond.
Sheriff Shirley said this is an ongoing joint collaboration with several local, state, and federal agencies.
The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the Georgia Bureau of investigation’s Cleveland Regional Field Office, the Toccoa Police Department, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the proactive collaborative operation in Toccoa-Stephens counties.
The operation, according to Shirley, was in response to an ongoing increase in violent crime in Toccoa.
In addition to safeguarding the community, federal, state, and local law enforcement is focused on collecting the most current criminal intelligence about local criminal street gangs operating in and around Toccoa-Stephens County.
The information, Shirley said, will in turn assist law enforcement efforts in combating the existing criminal street gang activity.