Three Arrested on Drug Charges

By Joel Frady

The Ashe County Sheriff's Office announced that they have arrested three Ashe County residents in

conjunction with a narcotics investigation. According to a press release from the sheriff's office, "a quantity of opium derivative (hydrocodone) was seized. The quantity seized was a level II traffic amount."

On Monday, Feb. 9, the sheriff's department arrested 24-year-old Misty Anne Wade of Grassy Creek and her live-in boyfriend, 22-year-old Phillip Brandon Coldiron of Grassy Creek.

Captain Chris Miller of the Ashe County Sheriff's Office said that Wade and Coldiron were arrested after an undercover investigation.

"During the course of our investigation, they conspired and delivered the trafficking amount of hydrocodone to us, and that's when we took them into custody."

On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the sheriff's department and the Boone Police Department "concluded an ongoing narcotics investigation" and arrested 38-year-old Patricia Day Combs of Jefferson. Miller said that the arrests of Wade and Coldiron and the Combs case are "two separate incidents," and that Combs was arrested after a month-long undercover investigation.

Wade was charged with conspiring to traffic in opium by transport, conspiring to traffic in opium by sale, conspiring to traffic in opium by delivery, conspiring to traffic in opium by possession, trafficking in opium by delivery, trafficking in opium by transport, trafficking in opium by possession and felony maintaining a dwelling. She was released from the Ashe County jail on a secured $24,999 bond.

Coldiron was charged with conspiring to traffic in opium by delivery, conspiring to traffic in opium by possession, trafficking in opium by possession and felony maintaining a dwelling. He was released from the Ashe County jail on a secured $24,999 bond.

Combs was charged with conspiring to traffic in opium by sale, conspiring to traffic in opium by delivery, conspiring to traffic in opium by possession, conspiring to traffic in opium by transport, trafficking in opium by delivery, trafficking in opium by transport, trafficking in opium by possession and trafficking in opium by sale. As of Tuesday afternoon, Combs was being held in the Ashe County jail under a secured $200,000 bond.