3 Sentenced In Cherokee Drug Trafficking Case

CANTON, GA — Three people were sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges in a July 2023 Canton incident, the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office said Thursday.

The charges against Justin Carl Benson, Heather Sparrow Bird and Terry Raymond Spriggs were in connection with an incident that took place on July 14, 2023 at a Lower Scott Mill Road home, prosecutors said.

Authorities received a 911 call about suspicious activity outside the home. When deputies arrived, prosecutors said they found Bird in the bed of a 2005 Ford Ranger that had been parked near Spriggs' home. Days prior, the Ford was reported stolen, prosecutors said.

Bird told deputies the truck belonged to Spriggs, and when Spriggs allowed deputies to enter his home during the investigation, prosecutors said they found drug paraphernalia in plain sight.

The deputies swept the home and found Benson hiding under a bed. That is when he gave them a false name, prosecutors said.

The Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad was activated, and the execution of a search warrant turned up a trafficking amount of methamphetamine, marijuana and other controlled substances, prosecutors said.

A large amount of the narcotics were found in the master bedroom, while other drugs were located in the kitchen, living room and the truck's bed, prosecutors said.

They added a Harley-Davidson motorcycle reported stolen from Alabama was recovered in the yard.

Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Shannon Wallace sentenced the trio as negotiated, per prosecutors:

• Benson, 29, of Canton: pled guilty on May 9 to possession of a Schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to distribute and giving false information to a law enforcement officer. He was sentenced as a recidivist to 10 years in prison and must serve the entire prison term without the possibility of parole.
• Bird, 49, of Canton: pled guilty on Sep.4 to trafficking methamphetamine, possession of a Schedule II controlled substance (oxycodone) with intent to distribute, possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance (clonazepam) with intent to distribute, possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance (alprazolam) with intent to distribute and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison with the possibility of parole.
• Spriggs, 53, of Canton: pled guilty on Aug. 11 to trafficking methamphetamine, theft by receiving stolen property and theft by receiving property stolen in another state. He was sentenced as a recidivist to 20 years in prison and must serve his entire prison term without the possibility of parole.

“Let this outcome serve as a clear warning: drug trafficking will not be tolerated in Cherokee County,” Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in a news release. “Our office will continue working closely with law enforcement to dismantle these operations and hold those who endanger our community fully accountable.”