Bradford
SPRUCE PINE — Officers from the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday, Jan. 6 recovered multiple controlled substances, guns and other drug paraphernalia from a Spruce Pine residence after executing a search warrant.
Captain Rick Wiseman, Detective Stacey Hughes, Lieutenant Daron Holmes, Lieutenant Jesse English, Deputy David LaPlante, Deputy John Masters and K-9 officer Kivo searched a residence at 140 Laurel Ridge Drive in the Hoot Owl Estates area of Estatoe— a residence occupied by John Oscar Bardford.
Bradford, 30, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of drug possession, including counts of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver. He is being held on $30,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 27.
Wiseman secured the search warrant that eventually led to the arrest of Bradford after following a subject he knew did not live in the Estatoe area. The subject went to Bradford’s residence and after leaving, Wiseman followed him out of the area to an Oak Avenue business where Wiseman and Beam approached the subject and started a conversation.
The subject admitted to Wiseman and Beam that he had just purchased an ounce of marijuana from Bradford and added that he had purchased marijuna from Bradford on several previous occasions.
Wiseman seized a plastic bag containing about an ounce of marijuana from the subject and then applied for a search warrant for Bradford’s residence, which was issued by Magistrate Charles Pitman.
At the residence, officers recovered about 1.5 pounds of marijuana, about an ounce of Psilocybin (mushrooms), a small amount of cocaine, more than $5,000 in cash, nine guns, digital scales and packaging material used to store and sell controlled substances.
Wiseman added officers also found what appeared to be blotter acid (LSD). The substance has been sent to the state crime lab for further analysis.
Some of the narcotics in the residence were located by Kivo, the department’s K-9 officer.
“Kivo is a blessing to have,” Wiseman said. “He locates narcotics in places our officers sometimes will miss.”
Wiseman said he had never heard reports about Bradford selling controlled substances previously despite an admission from Bradford that he has been selling since January 2020.
“Captain Wiseman’s knowledge and experience in narcotic investigations alerted him to a subject out of his normal element, which led to the arrest of Bradford,” said Mitchell County Sheriff Donald Street.
Street added that anyone with information on the sale of controlled substances can contact his office at 688-3982. All tips are always confidential.