MONTICELLO — Twelve people were rousted out of their beds earlyFriday morning and arrested on drug charges following a round upinvolving law enforcement agencies.

“This round up comes after nearly a year of investigations,”said Lawrence County Sheriff Joel Thames. “We’re not throughyet.”

Law enforcement officers with the sheriff’s office, MississippiDepartment of Corrections Probation and Parole Office, theDepartment of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, the sheriff’sdepartments of Marion, Jefferson-Davis and Covington counties, thepolice departments of Monticello, Bassfield, Sumrall and NewHebron, and the Pearl River Basin Narcotics Task Force conductedthe round up from 3-6 a.m. Friday morning.

More arrests are expected, Thames said.

The 12 Lawrence County residents were arrested on a variety ofdrug charges stemming from a nine-month investigation by thoseagencies.

Charged with sale of a controlled substance (crack cocaine)within 1500 feet of a church and conspiracy to sell a controlledsubstance were Kenny Bridges, 19; Jimmy “Bo” Brown, 38; RonnieHowell, 51; and William H. “Billy” Jackson, 41, all ofMonticello.

Also arrested were:

* Patrick Brown, 29, of Monticello, who is charged with sale ofa controlled substance (crack cocaine) within 1500 feet of achurch, sale of a controlled substance (powder cocaine) within 1500feet of a church, possession of a controlled substance (cocaine)and sale of a counterfeit substance.

* Dewayne Eley, 24, of Monticello, who is charged with sale ofmarijuana within 1500 feet of a school.

* Charles Williams, 50, of Monticello, who is charged with saleof a controlled substance (powder cocaine).

* Mitchell Simms, 47, of Monticello, who is charged with sale ofa controlled substance (crack cocaine) within 1500 feet of a churchand sale of marijuana within 1500 feet of a church.

* Shaundon Ard, 29, of Monticello, who is charged with sale of acontrolled substance within 1500 feet of a church.

* Kara Powell, 24, of New Hebron, who is charged with sale of acontrolled substance within 1500 feet of a church.

* Kenneth Roscoe Eley, 34, of Monticello, who is charged withpossession of a controlled substance (crack cocaine) and possessionof marijuana.

* MacArthur Mackey, 20, of Monticello, who is charged with saleof marijuana within 1500 feet of a school.