Authorities searching a Woodstock home for drugs on Friday found some unlikely residents living inside: exotic animals, including a tegu, a member of the lizard family.
On Monday, agents of the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad searched the residence on Creekbend Drive in Woodstock after they tracked a shipment of 10 pounds of marijuana to that location, according to a Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office news release.
They also found another three pounds of marijuana, along with hashish, psilocybin mushrooms, Xanax and cocaine, along with the exotic animals, several firearms and nearly $5,800 in cash, according to the sheriff’s office.
Three people have been charged with the possession and trafficking of the drugs, officials said. Kurt Steven Wisehart, 25, of Woodstock, and Marlena Shae Darby, 19, of Woodstock, have both been arrested, while a third suspect, Matt Quinn, remains at large.
The marijuana is believed to have been shipped from California and was packaged for redistribution, the press release said.
The Cherokee Marshal’s Office and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are collaborating with federal authorities to determine what to do with the animals.
Tegus, which are black and white and can grow to up to four feet long, are “an invasive species which reproduces quickly” and eats different food items such as small animals and eggs of different wildlife species.
Additional charges regarding the animals are pending.
Darby and Wisehart are currently in custody at the Cherokee Adult Detention Center.
About the Author
