William Christopher Andrews, 26, and Barry Randall Brandon, 24, both of Macon County, were taken into custody on drug charges, Friday November 17. Charges are pending against other suspects in the case that is still under investigation, according to Macon County Sheriff's Detective Bill Cothron.

Macon County Sheriff's Deputy Larry West was attempting to serve a juvenile petition warrant at 2046 Leath Branch Rd, at approximately 11:30 in the morning, on November 17, when he noticed an odor he believed to be burning marijuana.

Detective Bill Cothron responded to Deputy West's call for back-up, and reports he observed Andrews leaving the Leath Rd. residence.

Acting on reports received during the past few months, alleging that Andrews was selling marijuana from his residence, Detective Cothron approached the suspect and noticed an odor he believed to be marijuana. Andrews admitted he had been smoking marijuana, Cothron reports.

“When I spoke to the property owners, I noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside their residence, and I obtained written consent for a search,” Detective Cothron explained.

The property owner produced a small brown box containing a set of weighing scales, several bags of a leafy substance, other paraphernalia, according to Cothron.

“When I spoke to Mr. Andrews again, I asked if he had any marijuana on him, and he produced a small bag from his wallet,” Detective Cothron explained.

 “A little,” was Andrews's reply, when Detective Cothron asked if there was anything at his residence, 1255 Leath Branch Rd, up the road from the 2046 Leath Branch Rd. property, the detective reports.

“I also asked for Deputy Mark Bartley and Buzz, the K-9 patrol dog,” Cothron continued.

Buzz is a Belgian Malinois K-9 officer, trained to sniff out illegal drugs. Deputy Mark Bartley is the K-9 handler for Buzz. Sergeant Ira Meador also assisted with the case, according to Detective Cothron.

“When I told Mr. Andrews about my investigation into his alleged drug distribution activities, he began to cry. I asked for his signed consent to search his home, and Andrews asked about the possibility of cooperating to keep from losing his children,” Cothron reported.

At his residence, Andrews produced a trash bag that contained several bags of marijuana, digital scales, a bong (marijuana smoking device) and other items of paraphernalia. $570 cash and a 1989 Ford F250 were also seized, according to Detective Cothron.

“All evidence will be stored at the Macon County Sheriff's Department, or sent to the lab for analysis. There may be other indictments when evidence is presented to the grand jury,” Detective Cothron concluded.

While in custody, in connection with the Leath Rd. arrests, Barry Brandon was also charged with violation of probation related to an earlier indictment for fabricating or tampering with evidence. Brandon was held in the Macon County Jail, without bond, according to Sheriff's Department records.