4 Arrested on Firearm, Drug Charges at Cartersville Apartment

A Craigslist ad led to a sting operation that resulted in the arrest of four locals on various drug and weapons charges.

Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations agents and Cartersville Police Department officers Friday served the search warrant at 112 N. Erwin St. in Cartersville, DTF Commander Mark Mayton said in a press release. This is what happened, according to authorities:

Earlier, an individual had purchased a handgun from another person in Cartersville after responding to an ad on Craigslist. The purchaser contacted local law enforcement to run a check and the gun had been stolen in Bartow.

Since the seller also said he had a "fully automatic" Panther arms AR-15 for sale, authorities conducted the sting operation to purchase the automatic weapon. As a result, they seized the weapon along with another allegedly stolen firearm, suspected methamphetamine and cash.

Authorities say the firearms were taken last month in a local burglary and a car break-in. Agents are still following information gathered during this investigation and expect more arrests in the near future, they say.

Of the four people arrested, two were convicted felons and had active arrest warrants. They are: 

• Michael Justice Stafford, 30, of 112 N. Erwin St., No. 10, Cartersville, was charged with two counts of theft by receiving stolen property, possession of methamphetamine and possession of firearm by convicted felon. Stafford also had active arrest warrants for child support obligations and probation violations.

• Jason Todd Tijerina, 30, of 35 Hampton Drive, Cartersville, was charged with theft by receiving stolen property, possession of methamphetamine and possession of firearm by convicted felon. Tijerina also had active arrest warrants for burglary, theft by deception and probation violations.

• Tira Anne Scrivani, 22, of 112 N. Erwin St., No. 10, Cartersville, was charged with possession of methamphetamine.

• Curtis Thomas Everett, 31, of 26 Hannon Way, Cartersville, was charged with possession of methamphetamine.

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