Local man arrested in drug raid

    Hot House – Federal authorities raided a home last week and arrested a local man in a drug conspiracy investigation that dates back to at least 2018.
    Police raided the Hounds Run residence of James Travis Phillips at daybreak Thursday morning. He is charged with three criminal counts – including possession and distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of firearms during a drug trafficking crime – and was in federal custody as of the Cherokee Scout’s press time Tuesday.
    Authorities also arrested Raymond Dale Queen in the drug conspiracy case, according to federal indictments obtained by the Scout. Documents show Queen is in state custody; however, the date and location of his arrest remains unclear. Court records charge Queen with six criminal counts for alleged possession and distribution of meth.
    Federal indictments also charge two other co-conspirators with possession and distribution of methamphetamine.
    Jonathan Neal Deaton and Cristin Marie Livingston were arrested after they returned to Phillips’ home Tuesday morning. Deaton is charged with two criminal counts, while Livingston is charged with five separate crimes. Court documents say Deaton and Livingston lived in the basement of Phillips’ home.
    Court documents show investigators seized $13,164 in cash from Queen during a traffic stop on U.S. 64 West on Feb. 7. Police also seized a .32 caliber revolver, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, ammunition and $24,295 in cash from Queen during a raid on Page Little Road in Blairsville, Ga., on April 17.
    Documents accuse the foursome of possessing and/or distributing meth on several occasions between March 2018 and February 2020.