Sheriff Shirley Disrupts Rumors about Drug Search

Last Thursday, rumors started circulating regarding students being arrested at Stephens County High School after a school-wide drug search; however, Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley recently sat down with WNEG News to disrupt the rumors and set the record straight.

“The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office along with 15 other agencies met on Thursday to execute a drug-search that had been planned for several months at the high school.  Because the school is so large, it requires the help of several neighboring agencies,” he said.

According to Shirley the drug search took several months to plan, and the assistance of 15 other agencies from around the region.

Shirley added that there were no students arrested or detained.

“There have been several rumors spreading about students being arrested; however, no students were arrested or detained, and no disciplinary actions were filed,” he added.

Periodically throughout the year, the Stephens County Sheriff’s office works in tandem with the school system and other agencies to search the high school for drugs using K-9s.

Shirley continued to say that there were no drugs found on campus or in students’ possession.

“We are proud of our school, just because the dogs did not find any drugs does not mean that there weren’t any drugs in the school, but they did not find any,” Shirley continued.

Also, Shirley explained that the K-9 drug dogs do not search the students.

“It is against our policy and will always be against our policy, not because the dogs become vicious, but because the narcotic dogs get really excited when they smell the drugs, so there is the risk that the dog could scratch the student and break the skin, but we don’t want that to happen. We do search the students’ backpacks and outside the property and around the vehicles outside the school,” he said.

For more information regarding the recent drug-search at Stephens County High School contact the Sheriff’s Office at 706-886-2525.