5 charged with trafficking synthetic marijuana
An officer serving a child support warrant smells marijuana coming from a motel room.
Five people arrested at the Relax Inn after police went there to serve a child support warrant were in jail without bond on drug trafficking charges Sunday.
According Floyd County Jail and Rome Police Department reports:
A Rome officer received a tip that a woman wanted on child support warrants was in Room 209 of the hotel at 1204 Martha Berry Highway. When officers went to the room, they found the door partially open and the smell of marijuana coming from inside.
The woman — Kayla Mae Kinney, 25, of 6862 Cave Spring Road in Cave Spring — tried to shut the door but they pushed in and saw drugs and several guns in plain sight. Officers then called the Metro Task Force to get a warrant to search the room.
A search turned up bags of suspected synthetic marijuana — more than the 28 grams required to assume it’s meant for sale. They also found bags of methamphetamine, three guns, a digital scale and a suspected marijuana cigarette. All denied the drugs were theirs.
Kinney and the following men are each facing felony charges of trafficking in synthetic marijuana, possession of synthetic marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of synthetic marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime:
Eric Dennis McConnell, 28, of 309B Ross St.; Timothy Derrell Dupree, 24, of Atlanta; Ronnie Jackson Vanmeter, 19, of 1408 Calhoun Ave.; and Crashun Jogno Patio, 25, of 14 Joe Louis Blvd.
They’re also facing a misdemeanor charge of possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.
Kinney, McConnell and Vanmeter also were charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Kinney, McConnell and Patio are facing probation violations as well.
All five were being held without bond Wednesday night.
Dupree, who initially gave the name Joseph Derrell Harris, is additionally facing charges of obstruction, giving a false name and two counts of first-degree forgery. He is being held on unspecified charges for Atlanta and Fulton County.