Mike Murphy, Loxley’s new police chief, has a message for scofflaws in his town — if you break the law, you will be caught. The arrest of four people on drug charges just three weeks into his new job, shows he means business.

On April 6, officers armed with a search warrant, appeared at a County Road 64 residence at 6 p.m. and nabbed four of the 11 people in the residence on felony and misdemeanor drug charges, including the 66-year-old owner of the residence.

Murphy said his office had recieved “numerous complaints” about suspicious activity at the residence. He said his officers observed the suspicious activity at the location and then requested and recieved a search warrant.

— James Edward Page, 66, owner of the residence at 13789 County Road 64, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

— Julia Philips Dixon, 45, of Silverhill was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a felony, as well as possession of drug paraphernalia.

— Found $140 in U.S. currency, crack cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

— Gene Norwood, 43, of Loxley, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a felony.

— Jerome Clarida, 46, of Daphne, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

Murphy said the other seven people at the house were searched but no drugs were found and they were not charged.

The officers discovered $140 in U.S. currency, crack cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the house when they executed the search warrant.

Those arrested were taken to the Daphne City Jail and Dixon and Norwood, who are facing felony drug charges, were later transported to the Baldwin County Correction Center in Bay Minette. At press time, no bond had been set for the pair.

“No community is immune from drugs, “ Murphy said, noting that he has a strong message for those who are dealing drugs or plan to deal drugs in Loxley or the town’s police jurisdiction, “Be forewarned, we’re going to use every resource available to catch you and put a stop to your illegal activity,” he said.

In an unrelated case, Loxley police charged Derrick Antionyet Hunt, 34, of Loxley, a registered sex offender, with failure to tell law enforcement officers he was moving and living in a prohibited residence, both felony offenses under Alabama law.

Murphy said his office recieved a tip the man was living in an apartment in Loxley with a woman and her two-year-old child, although he was a registered sex offender in Fairhope.

“The law says no adult criminal sex offender shall establish a residence or living accommodations where a minor child resides,” Murphy said. He said the mother of the child was at work when the officer arrived. “We went to the apartment about 10 a.m. and after beating on the door five or six minutes, he finally opened the door. In the background, we observed a child crying,” he said, adding that the child had been released to the custody of his biological father.

Murphy said there was no indication harm had been done to the child and that Hunt is not recognized as a pedophile. “He broke the law and he was taken into custody, transported to the Daphne City Jail and then to Bay Minette,” he said.

Hunt’s bond was set at $5,000 for each felony, for a total of $10,000 and at press time, he had not made bond on the charges.

“(Hunt) broke the law. He didn’t go through the proper channels to change his location from Fairhope to Loxley and he was residing in a house with a child, which the law prohibits for all sex offenders,” Murphy said.