Chattanooga Woman Arrested for Drugs

Murphy, NC— Sheriff Derrick Palmer announced the November 11^th, 2015 arrest of 38 year old Joni Marie Dugger, a Chattanooga Tennessee woman on drug charges.

During the early hours of November 11^th, 2015 the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office received a call for assistance from Tribal Police indicating that Dugger and her husband had been in a domestic dispute at Harrahs Casino and that while Dugger was leaving the Casino property in her husband’s vehicle she had wrecked it and left the scene.

Dugger was found a short time later behind the National Guard Armory which is adjacent to the Casino property. Drugs were located in the area which Dugger had attempted to hide them from officers. The drugs seized were Hydrocodone, Clonazepam and a small amount of marijuana.

Dugger was arrested for Simple Possession of Schedule II, III, IV Controlled Substances and Possession of Paraphernalia by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Dugger was arrested by Tribal Police for Misdemeanor Larceny and Possession of Stolen Goods. Dugger was released on November 11, 2015 after posting a $5,000.00 secure bond. Dugger has a January 20, 2016 District Court date.

Sheriff Palmer stated “Again, we partnered with officers from Cherokee Tribal, North Carolina Highway Patrol, and Murphy Police Department to resolve this issue. I want to thank each of the officers and their agencies for their help.”

Sheriff Palmer encourages any one that has information on this crime or any other to report it. To report crime in Cherokee County you can call the anonymous tip line at 828-837-1344 or email a tip at crime.tips@cherokeecounty-nc.gov or call 911 if you observe a crime in progress.