The Newport Plain Talk

By TOM YANCEY

Greenville Sun Staff Writer

GREENEVILLE-A week-long effort from June 22 to 28 bylocal, state and federal law enforcement officers in East Tennessee led by theU.S. Marshals Service, resulted in 380 felony arrests for violent crimes, sexcrimes and drug crimes.

Operation Falcon (which stands for Federal And LocalCops Organized Nationally) cleared 688 warrants in the 41 counties that make upthe Eastern District of Tennessee, officials said.

Of these arrests, 26 were for sexual offenses, and 14unregistered sex offenders were arrested, said Warren Mays Jr., supervisorydeputy U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District. In addition, four homicidesuspects were arrested, and 176 narcotics arrests were made, he said.

Seized were 3.5 kilograms of narcotics, includingmarijuana, heroin and cocaine, Mays said at a press conference Wednesday at theJames H. Quillen United States Courthouse.

Evidence gathered during the arrests is currentlyunder review, he said, to determine the potential for other federal charges.

10-County Effort

Efforts in the 10 Northeast Tennessee counties thatmake up the Greeneville division were coordinated from here, Mays said.

The effort based out of Greeneville netted 74 arrests.Mays said 11 of those arrests were in Greene County and 11 were in CockeCounty.

Specific information was provided for only a handfulof the arrests.

Jeff Hedden, the U.S. marshal for the EasternDistrict, said the overall East Tennessee effort ranked 14th in terms of thenumber of arrests, out of 94 federal districts across the country that alsotook part Operation Falcon.

Hedden said local efforts involved the Kingsport,Bristol and Morristown police departments, and the sheriff's departments inGreene, Washington, Cocke and Hamblen counties.

Praising Greene County Sheriff Steve Burns for hiscooperation, Hedden said, "We always tend to lean on our goodfriends."

Burns was involved in a standoff with an armed man atthe time of the press conference and could not attend.

Asked about it this morning, Burns said, "We havean excellent working relationship with the U.S. Marshals Service.

"We appreciate them putting this Operation Falcontogether, and we appreciate the opportunity we had to work with them to helpget some warrants served and some people off the street."

Each participating officer was sworn in as a specialdeputy U.S. marshal immediately prior to the start of the operation, Mays said.This special authority empowered them to work across traditional lines ofjurisdiction throughout the week.

Also participating, Hedden said, were the TennesseeBureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the state probation andparole service, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Postal Service,the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, and "our very good friend" Russ Dedrick, U.S. Attorneyfor the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Dedrick said he and his staff were happy to work withlaw enforcement on this important operation.

Noting the high number of arrests, Dedrick said,"You can't measure that in terms of lives saved and problemserradicated."

Dedrick said East Tennessee as a whole owes the"modern-day Marshal Dillons" of the U.S. Marshal's Service "adeep debt of gratitude" for putting together and coordinating the massiveeffort.

Dedrick addressed several dozen law enforcementofficers attending the press conference,saying, "Most of all, thanks to all of you agents."

Mays said the U.S. Marshals Service "could neverhave been able to produce anywhere near this many arrests" without thehelp of those present.

688 Warrants Cleared

Mays said the380 arrests cleared 688 outstanding warrants. He said this was possible becausemany of those arrested had multiple warrants against them. Also, investigationsturned up warrants against people who were deceased, or already in prison orjail.

Mays said some may ask "Why you can't makearrests like that all the time?"

He said the intense effort involved about 150 lawenforcement officers and U.S. attorneys all over East Tennessee working 12 to18 hours per day, every day for a week.

"You're just not able to sustain that kind ofeffort" for much longer than a week, he said. Mays said he personallyworked 16 to 18 hours each day.

The effort in the 10-county Greeneville districtinvolved about 40 agents.

Mays said this was the third time that a Falcon-typeoperation has taken place in East Tennessee.

In the past, Falcon operations have taken placeprimarily in large cities.

Hedden said he was gratified that the effort has beenextended into smaller cities and towns, and rural areas. "I'm proud thatthey're finally bringing this home."

He said "the communities all of us live in"are made safer by such efforts. "Working togeher, sharing resources, makesus stronger," he said, and the effort "makes us stronger, not only asa community, but as a nation."

Hedden said U.S. marshals typically spend a lot oftheir time working on careful investigations, often involving white-collarcrime, but most of them were deputies at the county level early in theircareers.

The veteran lawman said he personally thinks most U.S.marshals find, as he does, that this type of "cuffin' and stuffin' " operation, where large numbers ofsuspects are arrested in a short period, is a gratifying change from theirnormal routine.

In addition to taking criminals off the street, Heddensaid, a high-profile operation such as this one can "get some people'sattention."

The press conference highlighted one Cocke Countyarrrest, and took advantage of the opportunity to draw attention to twofugitives still at large who are wanted on sexual battery charges.

Cocke County Arrest

Ronnie A. Britt, of Cocke County, was arrested duringOperation Falcon on old warrants charging him with two counts of sale anddelivery of marijuana.

When arrested on June 25, according to U.S. marshals,Britt had more than 14 ounces of crack cocaine in his possession, two pounds ofmarijuana, a loaded shotgun and more than $3,000 in cash. In 2000, he pledguilty in Morristown to four counts of delivery of a controlled substance.

The marshals also noted that John Sheridan Sneed, 45,is wanted for aggravated sexual battery involving a girl who was six years oldand a boy who was seven at the time. Kristine Marie Sneed, 30, is also chargedin that crime. The Kingsport Police Department is the investigating agency.

Anyone with information should contact the KPD at(423) 229-9300 or the U.S. Marshals Service at 638-3391.

For more information about Operation Falconnationwide, go to www.usmarshals.gov/falcon08/media.