Police Officer Damon Roher enters the house at 131 Second St. on the morning of Jan. 28. Officers found evidence of several different drugs at the property after executing a dual search warrant at the properties of three suspects involved in drug dealings.
The Wrangell Police Department successfully executed a dual search warrant on Jan. 28 after a month-long investigation into a local drug ring.
Cooper Seimears, 39, Jacob Marshall, 29, and McKenna Harding, 29, were charged and arrested following the 8 a.m. search warrant execution. Seimears and Marshall face eight drug-related felony charges and one misdemeanor. Harding faces drug-related charges of one felony and one misdemeanor, though she and Marshall, her fiancée, each face two additional misdemeanors for keeping drugs near their two children.
Though police are still processing evidence, court documents confirmed the seizure of methamphetamine at the Harding/Marshall residence at 131 Second St. and Seimears' residence at 820 Zimovia Ave.
In addition to methamphetamine and "several pieces" of paraphernalia, officers also located pills and liquids that tested positive for oxycodone, MDMA (ecstasy), cocaine and fentanyl at the Harding/Marshall residence. Methamphetamine was the only drug discovered at Seimears' residence.
The operation was a multi-agency endeavor that saw Wrangell police partner with the Petersburg Police Department and Wrangell's U.S. Forest Service officer, U.S. Border and Customs Protection and the state wildlife trooper during the investigatory and execution stages of the operation.
Police were initially made aware of the possible drug ring in December 2024, when they obtained evidence linking the defendant in a separate case and a possible drug dealer. Quickly, the police identified Marshall and Seimears as dealing narcotics in Wrangell.
"We were hearing rumors," Police Chief Gene Meek said, "and then upon receiving the information at the beginning of December, we had what I call actionable intel."
After obtaining search warrants for social media accounts, the police came to believe Harding was also involved in making deliveries and collecting payments on behalf of Marshall and Seimears.
At the court arraignment on Jan. 29, Sitka Magistrate Pamela Stahla-Kernin noted that Harding appeared to have been on the outside of the drug operation.
The judge set Harding's bail at $3,000, with the next court appearance scheduled for Feb. 18. The judge set bail for Marshall and Seimears at $25,000 each, with the next court date scheduled for Feb. 7.
Harding is the only one of the three defendants who had posted bail as of Feb. 2.
Once police obtained the social media warrants, they were able to obtain search warrants for the residences and vehicles of all three defendants.
Meek said the operation went smoothly and there were no unexpected complications during the arrests.
"The search warrants went off exceptional, by that, I mean there was no injuries," he said. "Everybody surrendered. There was no vehicle pursuits, nothing out of the ordinary."
He added that the need to execute both warrants simultaneously was to prevent one of the three defendants from tipping off the others.
He believes Marshall and Seimears worked in tandem within the narcotics sales operation, though he does not believe the pair were manufacturing the drugs themselves.
"I do not believe they were being made here," he said, adding that most drugs in Southeast are imported through the U.S. Postal Service.
Meek expects the investigation will help him better understand the narcotics operation in Wrangell. At the Jan. 28 borough assembly meeting, he spoke to the assembly and asked that anyone with additional information come forward with it.
"It's always confidential," he said. "We're not here to put people at risk, especially in small-town America. If you give us the information, we keep it to ourselves. We find ways of getting the evidence that we need without burdening the person who's giving us the information."
The chief understands that preventative measures and specific drug-targeting programs are a more effective long-term solution for combatting drug abuse. However, with such programs not available in Wrangell, Meek implored those suffering from drug abuse to check into the hospital.
Borough Manager Mason Villarma released an open letter to the Wrangell community that same day.
"Substance abuse affects not only individuals but also their families and the broader community," Villarma wrote. "Let us remain committed to supporting law enforcement efforts and working together to create a safer, healthier Wrangell for everyone."
1-800-622-HELP is the national substance abuse hotline. For those in active crisis, call or text 988.
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