HIAWASSEE, GA. – Two suspects were taken into custody by Hiawassee Police Department on methamphetamine charges outside of Towns County Fire Station 1 on Sims Circle during the early morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 14.  Towns County 911 received a call from one of the subjects who stated concern for the second subject’s safety. Hiawassee Police Department was dispatched to the location of the complaint. Towns County Sheriff’s Office assisted the city police agency on scene.

Alexander Raymond Ide

Upon arrival at the Towns County Fire Station, officers questioned the subjects who, according to the police report, willfully turned over a small quantity of methamphetamine to law enforcement without incident.

The subjects were identified as Alexander Raymond Ide, 20, and Jonathan Mathis Groundwater, 32, both of Hiawassee.

Jonathan Mathis Groundwater

Ide was charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug-related objects. Groundwater was charged with possession of methamphetamine. The suspects were transported to the Towns County Detention Center. The case will be forwarded to Enotah Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. Ide and Groundwater are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

According to the police report, officers had earlier encountered Ide and Groundwater at the nearby Valero gas station. The duo were asked by law enforcement to vacate the property to avoid loitering. Following their arrests, a criminal trespass warning was issued to the suspects by a Towns County deputy, advising Ide and Groundwater not to return to the fire department property in the future.

Following request for documentation on the above incident, Hiawassee Police Chief Paul Smith informed FetchYourNews (FYN) that three additional methamphetamine arrests had occurred in recent days within the city limits. FYN will follow-up on the subsequent arrests once the newly-requested reports are completed by the department.

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