Cherokee County District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch recently announced that two individuals, Coty Jackson, 31, from Murphy, and Kayla Renee Stroud, 41, from Marble, have both pleaded guilty to trafficking charges in separate cases.
Both Jackson and Stroud have been handed active sentences, with a minimum of 70 months and a maximum of 93 months to serve. Additionally, they are each required to pay a state-mandated fine of $50,000.
Jackson was apprehended by Cherokee County Investigator Parker Morgan on February 2, 2023, during a traffic stop on U.S. 19 near the Graham County border. He was found to be driving without a valid license and admitted to possessing a used syringe. Further search led to the discovery of a bag of fentanyl hidden in his left shoe.
Stroud, on the other hand, was arrested by Cherokee County investigators in February 2022 after being involved in two controlled drug transactions. These transactions occurred on February 17 and February 21, 2022, where she sold heroin.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Jason Arnold, with Superior Court Judge Steve Warren presiding over the proceedings.
District Attorney Welch expressed gratitude to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in these cases.
