ELIZABETHTON — Undercover drug operatives with the Carter County Sheriff's Department reported they were able to purchase a quantity of Suboxone strips, a schedule III drug, during a buy in broad daylight in the parking lot of the Food City parking lot on Friday.
Lt. Mike Little said the undercover narcotics purchase was made with four young women. One was a juvenile, and another had just turned 18 on the day before the sale.
The adults charged were Samantha Danielle Estep, 18, 117 Nannie Smith Road; Amber Nicole Morton, 18, 1205 Rittertown Road, Hampton; and Alexis Brooke Townsend, 19, 1294 Milligan Highway, No. 9, Johnson City.
Little said that during the undercover operation, the agent was able to purchase the narcotics with sheriff's department currency that had already had its serial numbers prerecorded.
The money was recovered after the arrest and the entire transaction was recorded on audio tape.
Little said a girl under the age of 18 was present during the drug deal.
All three were charged with sale of schedule III drugs and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Bond was set for each woman at $20,000. Sessions Court appearances were set for March 19.
Djackson writes:
February 19, 2013
6:24 PM
Congratulations to the families Estep, Morton, & Townsend. You have certainly done a good job raising these girls!
MannyCalavera writes:
February 19, 2013
7:13 PM
World's worst luck for the girl that turned 18 one day prior.
Dudeworks writes:
February 19, 2013
10:51 PM
I saw this all go down Friday evening about 6:30pm as I was there picking up my daughters for my weekend visitation. I told a friend of mine while this was all going down that these 4 girls couldn't have been no older than 18 and no less than 15 or 16. What a shame! Willing to bet their folks are pissed about the car being confiscated as well. The parents should be held partially responsible for this!
justmyopinion2012 writes:
February 20, 2013
8:29 AM
Djackson, I don't think it's fair to blame the parents. These girls are old enough to know better. We don't know how these girls were raised. Sometimes the parents do everything right and their kids still turn out to be losers. Let's lay blame where it belongs...squarely on the girls' shoulders.
Djackson writes:
February 20, 2013
8:38 AM
Hey, they didn't get here by accident. All blame lays on the parents. They are still children as it goes.
cityguy writes:
February 20, 2013
10:00 AM
You cannot lay all the blame on the parents in every case. They are all different. I personally know of a couple who raised 2 kids, in a very loving home. They attended church regularly, the kids played sports and belonged to the Scouts for years. Both made very good grades, and each worked parttime to help pay for their cars. Clean cut, respectful kids. By age 19, one was already serving time for robbery,assault, and drugs. Right after the youngest one turned 18, they were arrested and convicted of auto theft,assault and robbery. And now their poor parents sit and cry almost daily, wondering just what they had done wrong. And as a close friend with kids that played with their kids. I can tell you,sometimes it is just bad kids.
RedXVI writes:
February 20, 2013
10:38 AM
cityguy, there is no such thing as a bad kid, or at least they didn't start out that way. To DJackson, how are the parents to blame? 3 of them are 18, which legally makes them ADULTS. What that means is that the parents are not responsible for them anymore. Plain and Simple.
Djackson writes:
February 20, 2013
12:00 PM
Not Before they got this way.
justmyopinion2012 writes:
February 20, 2013
4:26 PM
RedXVI, I believe Djackson has a few screws loose. Unless you know these people personally, you have NO idea how they were raised so laying blame on the parents is unfair. There's no logic whatsoever in your position or your comments. As RedXVI stated, THREE of these arrested are considered ADULTS in the eyes of the law and therefore, they are responsible for their own behavior. Regardless of how they were raised, I am sure they ALL know it's WRONG to sell drugs.
Djackson writes:
February 20, 2013
5:18 PM
Children are a direct reflection of their parents and how they were raised. My screws are real tight.
provided.