Police raid in Pinehurst leads to substantial meth bust
Police vehicles sit outside a Pinehurst residence where a search warrant was executed earlier this year. The search resulted in the confiscation of approximately 170 grams of methamphetamine and the arrests of two local residents.
Joshua McDonald
PINEHURST –– The Shoshone County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at a Pinehurst residence on Wednesday night that resulted in the seizure of trafficking amounts of methamphetamine.
The multi-level residence, which sits on the corner of the intersection of Main and Division Streets in the small community, was heavily barred and reinforced with several locks that the officers had to overcome to gain entry.
Steven D. Fetter, 61, and Patricia M. Cook, 59, were taken into police custody following the raid – Fetter was charged with trafficking methamphetamine during his first appearance in court on Thursday.
Approximately 170 grams of methamphetamine were seized during the operation.
SCSO Captain Seth Green discussed what went into the operation with the News-Press, explaining how they determined where the raid would take place, as well as what goes into securing a search warrant.
“As most people know, we’ve been focusing on drug dealers in the Silver Valley,” Green said. “We gather a lot of information through our regular patrols, and then we use that information to run surveillance operations and gather other evidence that we can take to a judge to secure a warrant.”
In this case, Green and the SCSO drug team put together the plan for the raid and then were assisted by other local law enforcement agencies as part of the Shoshone County Drug Task Force to complete the search.
One new addition to the Task Force is Shoshone County’s Tactical Medical (TAC MED) team, which was developed through agreements with local law enforcement agencies and Shoshone County Fire Districts #1 and #2. The TAC MED team was then trained to respond to situations in unsecured environments where immediate emergency medical responses are required before the crime scene can be cleared.
Pinehurst Police Chief John Richter was thankful for their presence during the raid after one of the officers involved suffered a severe laceration during his attempts to gain entry to the residence.
The Pinehurst Police Department and Kellogg Police Department also assisted in the raid.
“We are dedicated to keeping drug dealers off of our streets and finding solutions to assist those afflicted with drug addiction,” Richter said. “We appreciate the assistance from all the agencies we work with, and especially the citizens that provide information that leads to investigations and arrests. It's vital to have all the agencies working together because we are all small agencies, but together we provide a better quality of service to our county.”