AIKEN – Aiken County sheriff's deputies seized nearly $50,000 in cash, guns and narcotics at a Langley home.
A citizen called Crime Stoppers Monday informing them that there were drugs at a home in the 200 block of Dunbar Street in Langley, Aiken County sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Myers said this morning in a news release.
Investigators obtained a search warrant on the home, and found methamphetamines, marijuana, a variety of pills, two shotguns and a handgun, Sgt. Myers said.
The search led to the arrest of three people. The sheriff’s office charged Gerald Courson, 49, of the 200 block of Dunbar Street, with trafficking methamphetamine in the first degree, distribution of methamphetamine in the first degree, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a firearm with a removed or obliterated serial number, possession of marijuana and four counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Lisa Smith, 38, of the 300 block of Edisto Ave., Beech Island, was charged with possession of methamphetamine in the first degree, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Julie Hydrick, 23, of the 30 block of Buckskin Court, Warrenville, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
Sheriff Michael Hunt said the drug bust is a great example of the importance of the Crime Stoppers line.
”Crime Stoppers is a valuable resource for citizens to utilize addressing drug issues in their communities,” he said in the news release.
Citizens can offer law enforcement tips anonymously by calling (888) CRIME-SC.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Back 
Nice bust! Thanks to the Crimestopper tipper....no neighborhood needs this kind of trash.
"A citizen called Crime Stoppers Monday informing them that there were drugs at a home in the 200 block of Dunbar Street in Langley, Aiken County sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Myers said this morning in a news release. " And if you believe THAT one, I have a bridge to sell you.
Sell away......I'm waiting to hear it.
Why do you not believe that? I'd like to hear it as well.
Because the police are not allowed to get search warrants to search property based on anonymous tips. Fourth Amendment. Unreasonable Search and Seizure. They already knew about who was doing it and why, they had to have probable cause. Somebody ratted them out, somebody always does, the "Crimestoppers" BS is just to protect the rat. Because people have a Constitutional right to face their accusers. I'm not an attorney, and even I could get somebody off of a charge like this if that's how they got their info. What if someone got mad at you and called in an anonymous tip about you, and the police raided you? The police already know who all the drug dealers are. You would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to know. They just have to wait until they have enough to make a charge stick in a court of law. And take a look at those two women. All the tweakers look alike.
Yeah, I agree corgimom. There will be no bridge buying for me! lol The person doing the tipping off was a disgruntled junkie who had bad feelings about a drug deal gone wrong and turned them in. We all know that when the police make a drug bust they don't just do it on someones word. They have to have proof. They investigate, send in the informant to buy some drugs and stake out the drug dealers house first. So case in point drug dealers; don't tick off your clients!
corgi - I read your "barracks lawyer" explanation. I'll respond if I can stop laughing at your fantasy world long enough to type.
"The Aquilar-Spinelli two-prong test for determining when informant information establishes probable cause is discussed. The first prong assesses the credibility of the informant, while the second prong assesses the informant’s basis of knowledge. The credibility and reliability of informants is discussed at length, including the fact that an informant can be considered credible when they have a strong motive to be truthful, even when prior information provided to police has been inaccurate." "Citizen informant information easily establishes probable cause to arrest with only the slightest corroboration, while anonymous tips require some exacting corroboration of the information. The key in these cases is that the concerned citizens’ identity is known to the police, whereas the identity of the anonymous tip giver is unknown." Want me to keep going? That's from the US Dept of Justice web site.
I happen to agree with corgi somewhat, there has to be a little more than an anonymous tip. But the anonymous tip led them to the house that needed to be investigated. They had to have done something afterwards like some type of surviellence before a warrant and going in. I mean what if your neighbor is just an a hole and calls in a tip just because they don't like you or your dog barking or w/e. To bust in and search someones house and terrify the family and children if there are any there is unreasonable. They don't just go off the tip, get a, warrant, and bust in. But it does make you wonder, the tip came in Monday and the warrant served the same day, that's odd, so either they allowed this illegal search warrant, or they had someone go in and do a buy to provide the reasonable cause or they had already been doing surviellnce on this house and had other evidence too.
I am glad though it was a good tip and they stopped some dangerous drug dealers. I hope no kids lived in the home. Off to the bighouse they go. Looks to me like they could use a little rehab anyway. LOL
Hmmm. Lisa Smith. What in the world happened to you?
Just say thanks to getting these drugs out of the hands of our children and teenagers. Don't worry about how they find out. Aiken County PD did a great job!!!!CUDOS TO YOU
I normally would agree with you One Who Cares. I could care less how a p.o.s criminal is caught. But if all it took was an anonymous tip, how would you like it if someone who didn't like you calling in a false tip about you and they came in and scared the daylights out of your children when you are perfectly innocent. It takes a little more than an anonymous tip, and it does look fishy about the tip and warrant same day. I have zero sympathy for the criminals that were caught, but the article leads you to belive all it takes is a call from someone who doesn't like you and will lie on you and the cops will be busting in your door ripping your house apart terrorizing your children. That just doesn't sound right.
Corgi, the article does not say that the citizen calling in was "anonymous."