Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
KVE Helps Capture One of UNITE’s Most Wanted

(Prestonsburg, KY) – An Eastern Kentucky man who had eluded Operation UNITE detectives for more than two years was arrested Wednesday, November 1, during a round-up of drug suspects in Floyd County.

Anthony R. Conn, 21, who currently lives on Jackson Drive in the Johnson County community of Sitka, was apprehended while working at a strip mine in Allen.

“We received a tip that Mr. Conn was driving a sludge truck at a mining operation,” said Lee Weddington, manager of UNITE’s Big Sandy Drug Task Force.

 “With assistance of Officers Lucas Salyer, Thomas Gearheart and Dennis Hutchinson from Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement (KVE), we were able to stop him on Allen Banner Road.”

Conn, who was listed as one of UNITE’s “Most Wanted” fugitives, had eluded detectives since being indicted on October 2, 2004. He is charged with one count of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (methadone).

In addition to Conn, seven of 13 suspects sought in Wednesday’s round-up had been located by noon and lodged at the Floyd County Detention Center. The arrests culminated an investigation that lasted approximately eight months.

Approximately a dozen law enforcement officers from the Prestonsburg Police Department, Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement and Kentucky State Police Pikeville Post participated in the operation.

Operation UNITE works to rid communities of illegal drug use through undercover narcotics investigations, coordinating treatment for substance abusers, providing support to families and friends of substance abusers, and educating the public about the dangers of using drugs. UNITE’s goal is to educate and activate individuals by developing and empowering community coalitions to no longer accept or tolerate the drug culture.