Georgiana ‘shot house’ shut down
JENNIFER CLONTZ/THE GREENVILLE STANDARD
Georgiana Police Chief Carlton Cook and Butler County Kenny Harden display items confiscated from a shot house. (Yalonda Mount/The Standard)
PAYTON
On Tuesday March 22 at approximately 3:10 p.m. the Drug Task Force, Butler County Sheriff’s Department and Georgiana Police Department executed a search warrant on 430 Washington Avenue Lot 13. The search turned up $1000 in United States currency, $1500 worth of marijuana and several different types of alcoholic beverages.
Butler County Sherriff Kenny Harden and Georgiana Police Chief Carlton Cook had been collecting information for several weeks about parties taking place at the location. They both attributed the drug bust to the citizens of Georgiana and the numerous complaints made about parties taking place on the lot where both drugs and alcohol were being sold.
Both agencies teamed up on this endeavor and made two undercover buys before obtaining a search warrant for the property.
Arthur Hue Payton, 61, was arrested on the property and was the only arrest made as a part of the search. Payton is a former convicted felon with prior arrests. He has been charged with two counts of sale of alcohol without a license, possession of alcohol with the intent to sell, possession of marijuana in the 1st degree, possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of person forbidden to possess a firearm.
“He was running a shot house.” Commented Sheriff Kenny Harden. “The problem with shot houses is that they start having fights and stabbings. Unfortunately this type of situation in not uncommon but we are working with the Georgiana Police Department to fix it.”
Payton went before a judge on Wednesday, March 23 but he will continue to be held as both departments continue their investigations.
This search is all a part of continued steps being taken by the Butler County Sheriff’s Department and Georgiana Police Department to make the Butler County community a safer place to live.
