The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source: Fox News
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:30 PM
Cocke County Sheriff's Office Arrests Two On Drug Charges
CCSO said the victim's girlfriend, identified as 21-year-old Erica Paulsell, was at the residence and "experiencing medical issues associated with drug use." Paulsell was taken to the Newport Medical Center.
An investigation by the sheriff's office found that Clara Catherine Coe, 22, of Knoxville, and Scott Elliott Wardley, 28, of Knoxville, sold heroin and methamphetamine to Ashlen on January 23. Investigators found that Ashlen was required to do a small hit of heroin in front of Scott Wardley before he and Coe would sell to them.
"They contributed to the death of this young man," Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes said. "Even though this young man was an addict and chose to use these drugs and overdosed, these individuals committed a criminal act and contributed to his addiction."
CCSO said both Moore and Paulsell returned to their residence and used more of the drugs they purchased from Coe and Wardley.
Both Coe and Wardley were taken into custody on February 1. Both were criminally charged with second degree murder. Their bonds were set for $250,000 each.
"The drug problem here is something we face every day," Sheriff Fontes said.
"I want the general public to know that your sheriff's office takes all drug related issues seriously and we will continue to work to prosecute individuals dealing and selling illegal drugs especially when it results in the death of another," Fontes continued. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. To all drug dealers get a job, stop victimizing addicts, make an honest living, and stop disrupting families across the great state of Tennessee.
"A drug dealer is nothing more than a domestic terrorist. They need to get a job, they need to make an honest living and quit supplementing their income through illegal means. [They are] nothing but a menace and need to be locked up for a long time."
