Five arrested for drugs, guns in Cherokee County

ANDREWS, NC – Five people are in jail and thousands of dollars worth of drugs and guns have been taken off the streets of Cherokee County.

Sheriff Derrick Palmer released a statement late Tuesday, Oct. 22, announcing the arrest of five individuals as a result of a continuing investigation.

The investigation has been ongoing into individuals who were reportedly illegally selling controlled substances in Cherokee County.

Phillip Chambers, 49, of Andrews; Dennis Solles, 62, of Robbinsville; Ralph Edward Daily Jr., 42, of Andrews; Tracy Teesateskie Hemphill, 48, of Robbinsville; and Patsy Morgan Deetz, 59, of Andrews were taken into custody late Tuesday for violations of the controlled substances act.

Chambers has been charged with trafficking in opium or heroin, possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and three other charges. He is being held at the Cherokee County Detention Center on $201,000 secure bond.

Solles, Daily, and Hemphill have been charged with possession of heroin and are being held in the detention center on $10,000 bond each.

The arrests were made due to a joint operation between the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, along with several federal offices.

The arrests occurred after the agencies served a search warrant at Chambers’ Andrews residence. During the search of the residence, investigators found trafficking amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana, along with multiple guns and ammunition, and a sizable amount of cash.

During the search, a stolen vehicle was also recovered.

Palmer released a statement on the arrest, which follows:

“As you can see, it takes a team to tackle our drug problem here in Cherokee County. We are appreciative of the assistance by Jackson and Macon for providing their SERT, as well as the assistance of our federal partners who we have assigned Task Force Officers to enable us to pursue prosecution at the federal level. This investigation is far from closed and will more than likely spread to other targets, not only here in Cherokee County, but in Western North Carolina and North Georgia as well. We are also appreciative of our community who continues to provide us with valuable information that leads us to these kinds of arrests,” Palmer said.