The widow of a suspected drug dealer who was fatally shot after allegedly pointing a pepper spray container at police was arrested Tuesday and charged with multiple narcotics offenses.
Brenda Rose VanCleve was arrested at her Forest Park apartment for violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, said Paulding County Sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Ashley Henson. VanCleve, 47, was charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute after an investigation that began in October when the woman’s husband, Danny Hammett, was fatally wounded by drug task force agents.
Hammett allegedly ignored the agents’ instructions after they entered his home in Hiram on Oct. 17, raising his hands in “an aggressive manner” and pointing his pepper spray toward the officers, who then opened fire, Henson said.
Agents continued their search of Hammett’s home even after the shooting, retrieving meth that led to VanCleve’s arrest. Police also charged her son, James Richard Eason, 21, with meth and marijuana possession.
VanCleve remained in the Clayton County Jail late Wednesday afternoon. If she posts bond, she will be transferred to the Paulding jail to be held on the charges stemming from the October raid, Henson said.
Meanwhile, the officers involved in the shooting of VanCleve’s husband have been reinstated from routine administrative leave, though the GBI’s Calhoun Regional Office has yet to complete its investigation.
About the Author
