GATESVILLE – Possession and sale of illicit drugs, to include one Gatesville man dealing in heroin, has led to several recent arrests by the Gates County Sheriff’s Office.

The latest of those arrests came last week, according to Gates County Sheriff Ed Webb.

Webb said that on Jan. 11, Jerry Carlton Eure, 29, of Academy Street, Gatesville was arrested and charged with several felonies, to include possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver heroin; maintaining a vehicle for the sell and delivery of heroin, sell and delivery of heroin to an undercover police officer and trafficking in heroin. Webb said the latter charge came about due to Eure having 40 units (a little over 6 grams) of heroin in his possession.

Webb added that a Ford pick-up truck was seized as part of the arrest.

Eure was jailed under a $71,000 bond.

“We are seeing an increase in the use and sale of heroin here in our county,” Webb said. “Heroin use was popular years and years ago; then it kind’a died off here locally, but is making a comeback. We’re trying out best to slow this down before it gets out of control here.”

Webb said that Dustin Sanford Harrell, 25, of US 13 North, Gates, was also arrested with Eure. Harrell was given a $5,000 bond on the charges of a felony drug violation and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In December, the Gates County Sheriff’s Office was working a case at Sunbury Mobile Home Park where two individuals were arrested.

Webb reported that Jolene Carolyn Hedgepeth, 59, was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. She was also arrested on the charge of felony maintaining a dwelling to sell a controlled substance and jailed under a $10,000 bond.

Also arrested at the same address was 42-year-old William Joseph Hedgepeth. He was jailed under a $20,000 bond on the felony charges of possession of firearms by a felon, maintaining a dwelling to sell a controlled substance, and intent to sell and deliver crack cocaine.