BUTTS COUNTY, Ga. — Butts County Sheriff’s Office deputies and GBI agents obtained 200 arrest warrants during the execution of “Operation Endless Consequences.”
The operation began after a Butts County high school basketball coach attempted to break up a fight at a basketball tournament involving rival gangs and was shot in the crossfire.
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A second innocent bystander was also shot.
“It didn’t use to be like this,” said Kasey Clark, a resident of Jackson, Georgia told Channel 2′s Ashli Lincoln.
Butts County Sheriff Gary Long told Lincoln he’s determined to eradicate gang activity from his county.
“I gave the directive to dismount the gang‚” Long said. “I didn’t care what it took. I didn’t care what we spent. It didn’t matter who we had to get. I wanted it stopped.”
On Wednesday, the sheriff alongside the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the progress of a joint task force, which officials are calling Operation Endless Consequences.
“By doing the narcotics investigation on it, we were able to identify and arrest everybody that was fueling that organization,” said Long.
A task force Long says was initiated after several gang-related drive-by shootings happened in his county since the pandemic.
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“At least 15 drive-by shootings between the two gangs,” he said.
Video sent to Channel 2 shows a gang member opening fire in a Jackson County neighborhood. In the video, the gang member fires his weapon into a passing vehicle. The sheriff says the driver was an innocent passerby who was mistaken for a gang member.
GBI Director Michael Register says gang activity isn’t just a Jackson problem but an issue statewide.
“The gang problem is such that the works not only going to continue but the works got to continue in order for us to make our communities here in Georgia safer,” said Register.
On Wednesday, the sheriff announced that 200 felony arrest warrants were issued. And officers are currently in the process of arresting more than 70 individuals —16 of them are confirmed gang members.
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Jaquavius Bland was arrested last month for his involvement in six different drive-by shootings in Butts County.
Officials from various agencies assisted Butts County, leading to the arrests of 69 individuals so far.
Police have identified the following who were charged, arrested and booked into the Butts County Jail:
- Zerra Brown
- Jaquavius Kesean Bland
- Kerri Watts
- Antwyone Brown
- Colous Andrews
- Jalon Stewart
- Jeremy Andrews
- Zayin White
- Denzell Travis
- Armando Hernandez
- Antonio Mulkey
- Franklin White
- Daquacious Bland
- Michaela Ballew
- Lawandte Johnson
- Cody Pedersen
- Joshua Kirby
- Lamarcus Grier
- Michael Mosley
- Noah Betsill
- Kesha Andrews
- Samantha Bell
- Saderrius Collier
- David Corley
- Daniel Earnhart
- Jessika Autrey
- Lajarvis Denson
- Jordan Betsill
- Leonandra Akins
- Charendra Miller
- Autumn Finlay
- Cheyenne McCulley
- Olivia Nichols
- Patrice Watson
- Morgan Lunsford
- Trey McInvale
- Danny Richardson
- Jonathan East
- Makayla Godfrey
- Shniah Carr
- Monsavier Marshall
- Peder Andresen
- Timothy Clement
- Belindy Grier
- Alonza Marshall
- Orterrio Watson
- Kareemah Harkness
- Tyler Autry
- Brittany Merck
- Arianna Phillips
- Orasma Andrews
- Nicolas Jackson
- Kimberly McClendon
- Jacqueline Hulsey
- Shelby Hamby
- Jordan Bowen
- Daniel Corley
- Darius Grier
- Ronald Brown
- Alonzo Pye
- Tristan Stewart
- Eshawn Barber
- Corey White
- Charles Lummus
- Darquashia Shannon
- Brett Barfield
- Emily Wright
- Corbin Grier
- Roderikus Scott
“I sincerely hope that the sheriff’s office continues to make sure that they keep these streets safe,” said Jackson resident James Love.
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