Sheriff's Reports 5-16-24: Man arrested after brandishing knife during verbal altercation

Deputies arrested a man after he reportedly pulled a knife during a verbal altercation.

On May 6, Cherokee County Sheriff's Deputy Jarrett Meredith was dispatched to reports of a fight wherein a knife was brandished. The deputies were told James David Wells was the individual who brandished the knife. Wells advised that the knife was inside a shed. Wells also said he and a man got into a verbal argument over him being on the property. The other man said Wells didn't have permission to be on the property and that Wells pulled the knife on him and threatened him with harm. Wells was arrested and booked for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Deputy Jeremy Alverson was called to North 602 Road May 7 for a domestic incident. A man claimed Tarra Ward hit him over the head with a beer can and left the residence in a Volvo. The deputy was in the area of Eldon Hill when he observed the suspected vehicle. Alverson turned around but the vehicle accelerated and he was unable to determine an accurate direction of travel. Alverson responded North 602 Road as the victim was speaking with Ward on the phone. The deputy advised Ward to either come back to the property or tell him where she was so she could be interviewed. She initially refused but eventually agreed to meet Deputy Jesse Mitchell at the TNT Store. Ward was arrested for domestic assault and battery and transported to jail.

On May 12, Deputy Joseph Burkett was patrolling traffic in the area of State Highway 51 and Bryant Road when he and Deputy Justin Richardson observed a vehicle with an expired tag. Cassandra Cariker was asked to step out of the vehicle and deputies said she appeared intoxicated. The woman was arrested after a field sobriety test. According to Burkett, Cariker kept saying she needed to pick up her child and she would never drink and drive. She allegedly said she was "embarrassed" and claimed she is the supervisor at Cherokee Nation Child Development. Cariker was booked for driving under the influence.

On April 29, deputies were told to be on the look out for a 2021 black Jeep Wrangler that was stolen out of Muskogee. Dispatch advised that the vehicle was being tracked by Sirius XM radio and it was headed north on State Highway 82. Deputy Mitchell was in the area and passed the suspected vehicle. Mitchell turned around and began to follow before the driver pulled over to the side of the road. The driver, Joshua Eldridge, said the vehicle's license plate was in the door and handed it to the deputy. Dispatch advised that the license plate returned to an F-150 and Eldridge's driver's license was suspended. Eldridge was arrested after deputies confirmed the vehicle was stolen. Deputies searched the vehicle and located cash, a bag of vehicle keys that had dealership tags, and a Ziploc bag that contained 3.16 grams of methamphetamine. Eldridge admitted to stealing the vehicle and the bag of keys. He was transported to jail and booked for possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, and driving under suspension.