Arrest of 1 More Firefighter Likely

One more Cherokee firefighter might be arrested as part of an investigation into illegal drug use within the agency.

"It appears that there possibly will be one more charge of a firefighter here from Cherokee County as well as possibly other individuals who are not firefighters but were involved in the sale of illegal narcotics,"  Roger Garrison said at an afternoon press conference.

Already, .

Johnathan Wayne Thomas, 34, is at the  with no bond. He has has been charged with the sell of hydrocodone, felony possession of marijuana, possession of a schedule II controlled substance, possession of a schedule III controlled substance and possession of a schedule IV controlled substance.

"These are very small amounts of narcotics," Garrison said. "Most of the narcotics that are carried on the ambulances are very small quantities used for pain relief, primarily injectables."

Preliminary findings indicate that the drugs "were used for self-medication for lack of a better term or self-usage by possibly the two firefighters involved," he said. "Those narcotics were not sold. It is through the further investigation that at least one of those individuals was involved in the sale of the hydrocodone, possibly the marijuana and some other narcotics."

At no point and time was the care of any individuals put in danger or jeopardized, Garrison said.

The illegal drug use came to light on Sunday during a routine inspection of ambulances in the county. Garrison credited changes in the fire department with bringing the activity to the attention of authorities.

Tim Prather became the county's fire chief in September when his predecessor, Raymond Gunnin, retired.

Restructuring within the agency put new personnel in fire stations and "new eyes on some of these ambulances," Garrison said. Those individuals "saw things that just didn't appear to be correct in these inventory processes," he said. 

This past Sunday, Cherokee County fire officials reported their observations to the , which investigated the incident in conjunction with the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad,  spokesman Tim Cavender said in a statement.

An undercover operation was conducted, and Thomas was arrested at his home Wednesday afternoon following a search warrant at the location. Thomas has been with the fire department for three years. He has no previous disciplinary infractions in his files.

“This agency will not tolerate any type of illegal management or mishandling of our controlled substances, nor will we permit the possession and use of illegal drugs by our employees,” Prather said in a statement. “Illegal drug use is a debilitating disease that can interfere and destroy a family, a person’s health and career. I hope Mr. Thomas will take the necessary steps to overcome this issue and situation.” 

Thomas will have his first court appearance on Friday.

The investigation is ongoing, said Lt. Jay Baker, spokesman for the Cherokee Sheriff's Office.