Second drug arrest made

The Carteret County Sheriff’s Office announced a second arrest in association with an investigation that led to drug charges against the volunteer director of Havelock’s Community Emergency Response Team.

Joey Lane Patterson, 44, of Chatham Street in Newport, has been charged with three counts of trafficking in opium and maintaining a dwelling for the sale of narcotics, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

Michael Dean Sides, 43, of McCotter Boulevard in Havelock, has been charged with two counts of trafficking in opium. Sides was removed as Havelock’s CERT director on Jan. 7 when he was arrested, Havelock Police Chief G. Wayne Cyrus said on Monday.

According to the release, drug investigators received information that Sides was selling prescription medication to Patterson on a monthly basis. Surveillance was set up, and investigators witnessed Sides delivering narcotics to Patterson after leaving a Havelock pharmacy. Undercover agents then made a purchase of medication from Patterson.

Investigators obtained a warrant for Patterson’s home, and detectives recovered the remaining 180 Methadone pills that investigators say Sides sold to Patterson, according to the release.

According to a government fact sheet, Methadone is a synthetic narcotic used to treat those addicted to heroin, morphine and other opioid drugs by suppressing withdrawals while occupying a receptor in the brain that causes the addition.

However, it can also be used as a pain reliever, and one possible side effect reported is hallucinations and confusion.

As the director of CERT, Sides helped police with various functions, such as processing fingerprints, and traffic control and parking at city events. Sides also helped organize the city’s annual National Night Out event in August.

CERT is designed to educate volunteers about disaster preparedness and to train them with basic disaster response skills so they can help others in their communities or businesses respond appropriately to disasters.

Though run with some oversight from the Havelock Police Department, the CERT program is a volunteer organization. The director’s position is a volunteer post and is not a paid Havelock city job.

Cyrus stressed that there is no evidence that Sides involved or used CERT in any alleged dealings associated with the charges.

CERT volunteers have an office in the police department and access to a computer. Cyrus said Sides has been denied access to the office and all CERT-related equipment in Sides’ possession has been returned.

Sides was a former full-time employee of the Havelock News during the 1990s and early 2000s. He has been an occasional contributor to the publication since, supplying photographs.

Sides was also a member of the Harlowe Volunteer Fire Department but was put on inactive status, according to Chief Jeremy Brown.

The Havelock Police Department and Carteret County Sheriff’s Office were both involved in the investigation.

Sides had a court appearance Monday in Carteret County where he was appointed a public defender. Sides is next scheduled to be in court for a hearing on Jan. 22. According to the Carteret County Clerk of Superior Court, Sides was released on a $75,000 bond.

Patterson had his bond set at $25,000.