>> DRUG TRAFFICKING
A Milledgeville man arrested for the trafficking of methamphetamine in Jones County in 2021 will be serving 15 years in prison for a combination of drug and firearm charges.
Tyrone Slater Hitchcock entered a guilty plea in Jones County Superior Court Jan. 12 and received a sentence of 25 years for the charge of trafficking methamphetamine, five years for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and 10 years for possession of a firearm by convicted felon.
The trafficking and first firearm charge were ordered to run consecutively but concurrently with other charges for a total of 30 years with the first 15 years served in confinement. The remainder of the sentence may be served on probation.
Hitchcock was arrested June 15, 2021, and charged with receipt, possession or transport of firearm by a convicted felon or first offender probationer, driving without valid license misdemeanor, trafficking in cocaine-illegal drugs-marijuana or methamphetamine, and possession firearm or knife during commission or attempt to commit a crime.
He was arrested with Zaynah Latrelle James, and the codefendants were indicted on the offenses by a Jones County Grand Jury Aug. 2, 2021.
James was granted a $65,000 bond following the arrest. Hitchcock took responsibility for the drugs and has remained incarcerated due to the amount of drugs involved and his criminal history, despite several attempts for a bond.
Hitchcock was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Cara Fiore. During a May 12, 2022, bond hearing, Fiore told the court Hitchcock was arrested with close to 100 grams of meth, a gun and $6,000 in cash. She said the defendant had a criminal history with 32 cycles and numerous convictions.
She said Hitchcock had been arrested by the feds for a Baldwin County case and that had delayed his Jones County case. Fiore said she spoke with the federal prosecutor, and the defendant is looking at a federal sentence of 10 years to serve.
According to an incident report by JCSO Investigator Barron Hall, the case against Hitchcock began April 20, 2021, following information received that he would be bringing a quantity of methamphetamine into Jones County.
The point of contact was a convenience store in Haddock and law enforcement officers started surveillance of the area. Hall was familiar with the Tahoe driven by Hitchcock, and a license check determined that the suspect was unlicensed.
The investigator said Hitchcock was observed parking at one of the gas pumps and he was then approached by JCSO Sgt. Wesley Ransom and investigators Hall, Robert Reece and Crystal Murphy.
He said Hitchcock was placed in handcuffs and checked for weapons. Hall said during the check, currency was located in several of the suspect’s pockets. Hitchcock was secured in Ransom’s vehicle.
The investigator said a pistol was observed in plain view inside the vehicle, laying on the front driver’s side floorboard. He said Deputy Casey Carr and K-9 Ella conducted an open-air sniff of the vehicle, and the K-9 gave a positive alert.
Hall said the pistol was photographed and taken into evidence and a book bag was located in the back seat of the Tahoe. He said Ransom searched the book bag and located several baggies and scales. In another small bag within the book bag, three separate bags were found, containing suspected methamphetamine. An extended magazine for the pistol was also discovered in the book bag.
A glass pipe and digital scales were found in the passenger’s purse.
Hall said both suspects were transported to the Jones County Law Enforcement Center, and the currency found on Hitchcock was counted. The total of the currency was $5,857.