Robbinsville – A group of citizens concerned about growing substance problems in Graham County have banded together to appeal the county government for help in the fight.
The group of citizens filled the Community Building at the Graham County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday night and asked the board for help with the problems, which they said were worsening. The group also plans to hold a town hall meeting Friday.
Sweetgum Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Patrick O’Dell spoke for the group, asking what the board could do and what citizens could do to quell the growing issue.
“These concerned citizens are really troubled right now about what’s going on in our county,” O’Dell said. “I know we have new drugs around here. It’s killing people. There’s mamas and daddies that’s heartbroken, having to bury their young’ins.”
O’Dell said that while he appreciated substance abuse programs such as Recovery to Work, Celebrate Recovery and the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, the problem was more with those who did not want to turn their lives around.
“Nobody’s going to get help until they want help,” O’Dell said. “We’re very thankful for people who want help that will go to these programs, but I believe tonight, the concern is not with those who are interested in programs: it’s those that’s out here living recklessly that’s selling drugs to our young people.”
He emphasized that while the group was asking for answers, it didn’t seek to blame the county government or local law enforcement for the drug problems. Additionally, he said those concerned about the problem extended beyond just attendees at the meeting.
“I’ll be honest with you and tell you the truth, I don’t know what to do,” O’Dell said. “We have some ideas. This drug problem’s great. I lived in it, and I know what it is. It’s so much worse than it was when I was out there.”
He suggested possibly putting more money towards county law enforcement to support its fight against drugs.
“The Bible teaches you to be a good steward, but really and truthfully, if we could somehow help our law enforcement – or if we could somehow better our law enforcement to help with this drug problem – I believe it’d be worth budgeting in somehow,” O’Dell said.
He said the group had been in contact with State Rep. Karl Gillespie, R-Franklin, and was told that there was financial aid available to the county to help wth the problem.
“What’s it going to take to get ahold of that? Somebody smarter than me knowing what to do,” O’Dell said.
Graham County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dennis Crisp explained some of the challenges faced by local law enforcement in its fight against drugs.
He said that at times deputies weren’t able to make arrests, due to a lack of cell space.
“At times, we have to transport inmates all the way to Polk or Rutherford, and that’s just not acceptable,” Crisp said. “It’s not fair to the victims for us not to arrest people because of a lack of space.”
He also explained how thin the force was stretched, with some of its 21 sworn officers serving in other capacities.
“If we had more officers, it would help us be proactive and more aggressive with finding these drugs in the county,” Crisp said.
He also said he believed 95 percent of crime in the county was somehow drug related.
“If we attack the drug problem, we fix our other problems,” Crisp said. “If we don’t get more aggressive, we’ll continue to have more overdoses and more loss of life. One is too many. I can’t imagine what these families feel like.
“We want a better community. We want a safer community, and we want these people off the streets and hopefully doing better.”