The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office conducted a massive roundup of alleged drug offenders Tuesday in the wake of a months-long investigation called Operation Revolving Door. Prisoners rounded up were brought to a vacant manufacturing plant where they were processed by detention center officers and taken immediately before a magistrate (as seen here) for bond hearings. Thirty-seven of the people on the wanted list were in custody by mid-day. (Ledger photo / TIM GULLA) One by one, marked and unmarked Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office police cruisers pulled out of a vacant manufacturing plant Tuesday morning loaded with police and probation officers wearing bulletproof vests.

One by one, the vehicles soon returned to the same plant with 37 unhappy back seat passengers.

While the plant no longer hummed with the sound of industry, a sound of a new assembly line took its place.

Waiting for the passengers at a row of tables were corrections officers and local magistrates, who moved the arriving prisoners directly from processing to bond hearings with clockwork efficiency. Police asked that the location of the plant be withheld for security reasons.

While only about half of the “Operation Revolving Door” objectives had been met as of mid-day, Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton was pleased with the results of a massive roundup of alleged drug offenders.

The name “Revolving Door” was appropriate, the sheriff believed, as many of the people who police went out to arrest Tuesday morning were familiar faces.

Statistics compiled in advance of the operation showed 33 of the 67 people on one list already had two or more drug arrests on their record.

And eight of the people on the wanted list already were on bond for drug offenses.

If more than 200 arrest warrants against more than 70 people overall weren’t enough, sheriff’s office narcotics investigators even came up with several new charges Tuesday morning. According to Blanton, several people arrested Tuesday had drugs on them when searched. One person was caught with methamphetamine and another with crack cocaine.

Overall, Blanton said, “All but about a dozen (people on the wanted list) have drug arrests (on their records).”

The initial wave of police officers to hit the streets Tuesday morning had more than a dozen people in custody in a matter of minutes.

About three hours into the operation, however, the pace started to slow.

“It’s kind of tapered off now,” Blanton said at one point, “because the word’s getting out on the street.”

While investigators packed up their operation around noon with 37 people in custody, Blanton said his officers would continue to hunt for the remaining people on the list throughout the week.

His office didn’t release the names of people not yet in custody, but he expected the public’s assistance would be sought next week to help police locate any people still on the loose.

At one table, sheriff’s office officials kept watch over boxes of police records containing arrest warrants and photographs of the people on the wanted list. Officers returning from a successful trip were given new targets to acquire.

At a second table, officers from the Cherokee County Detention Center processed each of the prisoners taken into custody, filling out the paperwork, conducting inventories of personal possessions, and conducting “pat-downs.”

At a third table, Cherokee County Chief Magistrate Bart Howell and Magistrate Mike Clary held immediate bond hearings.

The process lasted only a matter of minutes for each prisoner. Prisoners were kept in a small holding cell until there were enough people to fill a jail transport van.

“It’s so much easier this way,” Blanton said.

The Cherokee County Detention Center can only handle a few vehicles in its entry way at a time, so doing the roundup off-site provided logistical benefits.

“Here, there’s no wait,” Blanton said.

Magistrates Howell and Clary maintained identical policies in setting bonds.

Prisoners who already were on bond when arrested Tuesday, or who faced a third or subsequent drug offense, were denied bond. Those prisoners will have to petition a Circuit Court judge if they want to get out.

Prisoners facing firsttime offenses were each given $25,000 bonds on the warrants served Tuesday, Howell confirmed.

While not everyone faced the same charges, most of the charges presented before Howell and Clary were related to the distribution of drugs or the distributing of drugs within proximity of a school or playground.

Seventh Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy, whose office will prosecute the cases, could not offer comment about individual cases.

Asked to comment on the “Revolving Door” name of the operation, he said, “Obviously I share the concern with recidivism and have long argued for bond reform, sentencing reform, increased prison capacity and other mechanisms to promote public safety,” he said.

The Cherokee County Detention Center had about 140 prisoners before Tuesday’s operation started.

While the name was not immediately available, one of the 37 people arrested Tuesday was a temporary employee assigned to work on a Cherokee County sanitation truck.

Authorities with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said the following people were arrested Tuesday during “Operation Revolving Door.” They are listed by name, address and the offense(s) with which they are charged. NOTE: The word “ice” as used here refers to methamphetamine.

MEGAN WALLACE HOUSTON, 1000 S. Green River Road, Gaffney, 2 counts of accessory before the fact of distribution of ice; 2 counts of accessory before the fact of distribution of ice within proximity of a school

HANK LOGAN, 603 Dogwood Drive, Gaffney, 2 counts of distribution of marijuana; 2 counts of distribution of marijuana near a school

JANNA ANN SPROUSE, 894 Gowdeysville Road, Gaffney, distribution of cocaine; distribution of cocaine within proximity of a school

NAIKIA L. SMITH, 115 Crosby St., Gaffney, 2 counts of distribution of cocaine; 2 counts of distribution of cocaine near a school

LYMAN CHARLES TATE SR., 144 Camelia Circle, Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school

KEN DALE SULLIVAN, 200 Serene Drive, Gaffney, 3 counts of distribution of crack cocaine; 3 counts of distribution of crack cocaine near a school

RACHEL SUSAN WOLFE, 405 Chatham Ave., Gaffney, distribution of Schedule 3 narcotics; distribution of Schedule 3 narcotics within proximity of a school

BANDARIN COLDEL PEELER, 205 Connecticut Ave., Gaffney, distribution of cocaine; distribution of cocaine near a school

SHERRY PHILLIPS, 313 3rd St., Gaffney, accessory before the fact of distribution of crack cocaine; accessory before the fact of distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school

KESHIA TATE, 616 5th St., Gaffney, 3 counts of distribution of cocaine; 3 counts of distribution of cocaine near a school

HELEN MIRANDA SEALS, 1301 Cherokee Ave., Gaffney, distribution of ice; distribution of ice within proximity of a school

ROBERT DEAN MILLS, 201 Chandler Drive, Gaffney, accessory before the fact of distribution of crack; accessory before the fact of distribution of crack within proximity of a school

MICHAEL TREMAINE PROCTOR, 108 Granite Drive, Gaffney, distribution of marijuana; distribution of marijuana within proximity of a school

HEIDI MICHELLE RAMSEY, 117 Kraft St, Apt. #B, Gaffney, accessory before the fact of distribution of crack cocaine; accessory before the fact of distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school

STEVEN LEE JOHNSON, 232 Ross St., Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine near a school

SAMUEL DECATOR WRAY JR., 107 Riverbrook Drive, Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school

RICKY HUGHES, 500 Park St., Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school

RASHON D. AUSTIN, 512 1st St., Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school

JOHNATHAN BERNARD KESLER, 107 Lincoln Drive, Gaffney, 2 counts of distribution of crack cocaine; 2 counts of distribution of crack cocaine near a school

STEPHEN FRANCIS PLEVA, 706 Marietta St., Gaffney, distribution of morphine, distribution of morphine near a school

LORI CROCKER SEALS, 526 Peeler Creek Road, Gaffney, 2 counts of distribution of ice; 2 counts of distribution of ice within proximity of a school

FRED LAUGHLIN, Apt. 3, Marietta St., Gaffney, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine near a school; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine

CAMERON ONEAL STEVENSON, 123 Henderson St., Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine near a school; 2 counts of distribution of crack cocaine

KENDRICK DESEAN SIMS, 1536 Wilkinsville Hwy., Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine near a school

ANTWAN RASHAD LITTLEJOHN, 121 Lockhart Lane, Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine near a school

PATRICIA WRIGHT GARCIA, 808 1st Ave., Gaffney, distribution of a Schedule 4 controlled substance; distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school

CHARLES JEFFERIES, 305 Sarratt St., Gaffney, 3 counts of distribution of marijuana within proximity of a school; distribution of marijuana

OSBOURNE MESSER, Lot #2, Marietta Road, Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school; distribution of Xanax

JEFFEREY LYNN WYATT, 3rd Ave., Gaffney, distribution of a Schedule 4 controlled substance; distribution of a Schedule 4 controlled substance within proximity of a school

JAMES BERNARD THOMPSON JR., 805 8th St., Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school; distribution of crack cocaine

KEVIN EDWARD POOLE, 1012 Cherokee Ave., Gaffney, 2 counts of distribution of ice; 2 counts of distribution of ice near a school

EVAN JOHN LAWSON, 1610 Beech St., Lot #2, Gaffney, distribution of marijuana; distribution of marijuana within proximity of a school

NATHAN BLAKE MULLINAX, 409 Elm St., Gaffney, distribution of crack; distribution of crack within proximity of a school

WILLIAM HOPPER JR., 523 McCluney Drive, Gaffney, 2 counts of distribution of crack; 2 counts of distribution of crack within proximity of a school

NICKY LEON HEMPHILL, 600 Limestone St., Gaffney, distribution of crack cocaine within proximity of a school; distribution of crack cocaine

JOSHUA MILLINGTON HARRIS, 205 Oak St., Gaffney, distribution of crack; distribution of crack within proximity of a school

JERON KENNARD STEVENSON, 123 Henderson St., Gaffney, 3 counts of distribution of crack; 3 counts of distribution of crack within proximity of a school