SHERIFF AUCTIONS LAND

Jackson County said "No" to drugs in a big way Monday at noon.

For the first time, Sheriff Mike Wells auctioned property that was seized
or condemned during a meth lab drug bust.

The property, 35 acres, located on County Road 151 in the Central Community
near Rosalie, was owned by convicted felon Esmond Liles.

Liles was arrested in April of 2001 and charged with possession of a
controlled substance; meth, and possession of precursor chemicals. He pled
to two possession counts in November and was sentenced to two 15-year
consecutive sentences.

"We want everyone to know, that every time they sit down to cook meth, they
could be forfeiting their home and there property," said District Attorney
Charlie Rhodes.

"We anticipate using the condemnation law as another tool to get rid of
meth labs in Jackson County. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department has
done a good job. This will benefit them in two ways. First it will help
deter meth dealers, and money from the land sell will benefit the Sheriff's
Department.

According to Sheriff Mike Wells the money raised in Monday's auction
($50,000) will be used to purchase a computerized fingerprinting system for
the Jackson County Jail.

"The drug problem is getting out of hand in Jackson County. Meth is getting
worse everyday. The Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office are
not going to tolerate it. We are going to be very aggressive with our drug
bust, so meth dealers need to beware," said Inv. Bart Buchanan of the
Jackson County Sheriff's Department, who worked the case against Liles.