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Dozens picked up in Franklin County arrest warrant operation

Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver announced a massive arrest warrant operation in the county last week, with 50 people being picked up what the office described as operation “Direct Impact.”

That operation, though, apparently caught up at least one individual in error. Stacy Hester, of Red Bay, was picked up and booked into the Franklin County Jail on Tuesday before being released when it was determined she should not have been arrested. Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Jeff Barksdale confirmed to The News that Hester is not facing any charges.

“She (Hester) does not have a pending case with our office,” Barksdale said.

It is not known how such an error could occur, but Barksdale said the District Attorney’s office has been working through a backlog of cases, with more than 750 referrals just last year. Part of that backlog was being addressed with the latest operation.

Per the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department: Numerous law enforcement agencies were involved in the narcotics arrest warrant operation in Franklin County and the surrounding area. Investigators with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Russellville Police Department assigned to the ALEA Region E Drug Task Force conducted an extensive narcotics investigation in the region with the assistance of other area narcotics units. The investigation was conducted for approximately one year and is still ongoing.

Working with the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office the investigation was titled “Direct Impact,” reflecting the direct strike this operation took to the local drug distribution community. The investigation resulted in over 80 Grand Jury indictments / arrest warrants being issued for subjects involved or related to the investigation.

The operation as of today has resulted in 50 subjects being arrested and booked into the Franklin County Jail. Six additional felony drug charges were made during the operation as well as 3 individuals taken into custody that were wanted by other agencies. Numerous other arrests are expected and will follow as investigators follow up on further leads and information regarding the whereabouts of the remaining wanted subjects.

Red Bay and west Franklin County area residents arrested include:

Others arrested Tuesday in the investigation include:

The operation was a collaborative effort involving the following participating agencies: Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County District Attorney’s Office, Russellville Police Department, Red Bay Police Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency – State Bureau of Investigation, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency- Region E Drug Task Force, Alabama Board of Pardons and Parole, Alabama Department of Corrections – K9 Unit, Alabama Department of Conservation- Enforcement Division, Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Colbert County Sheriff’s Office, Colbert County Drug Task Force, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Marshal Service- Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force.

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