Pubdate: Wed, 10 Jul 2002
Source: Montgomery Advertiser (AL)
Copyright: 2002sThe Advertiser Co.
Contact:  http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1088
Author: Marty Roney

DRUG SWEEP GENERATES 240 CASES

Arrests by the Prattville Police Department continue as part of a two-year 
undercover drug operation

So far the undercover operation has made 240 cases against 122 people, with 
62 arrests and another 60 facing charges, said Chief Alfred Wadsworth.

Most of the recent arrests followed a Monday sweep by the department. Two 
of those arrested, Quentin Louis Milliner, 22, and Jon Juan Lewis, 24, both 
of Montgomery, are alleged drug dealers who came to Prattville to do 
business, Wadsworth said.

"With the extra operations the Montgomery PD is conducting against crime, 
it's just a matter of time before criminals are pushed over on this side of 
the river," Wadsworth said. "We are beefing up patrols on the south side of 
town to guard against that. When criminals come over here, we are going to 
push back - hard."

The Montgomery Police Department continues its two-month, stepped up 
operations against crime following a rash of armed robberies and other 
violent crimes.

One issue police face in making the undercover arrests is overcrowding in 
the county jail.

"We met with the sheriff before we began the arrests to discuss timing," 
Wadsworth said. "We didn't want to dump 60 or 70 people on him at one time, 
making a bad situation worse in the jail. Making the arrests in stages also 
helps us out. It requires a lot of manpower to make so many arrests. We are 
able to work other cases this way."

The county jail, which was built for 52 inmates, has been overcrowded for 
years. There were 100 inmates in the jail Tuesday morning. Four inmates had 
bonded out by mid-afternoon Tuesday.

"When you are this overcrowded, four people make a big difference," Sheriff 
Herbie Johnson said. "I would love for the metro jail to be open tomorrow. 
We are in that bad of a shape."

Crews are now building the metro jail behind the Autauga County Courthouse. 
The jail will have a capacity of about 135. Johnson said best estimates for 
construction to be completed is mid-February of 2003.
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