Columbus, Phenix City residents among 11 named in indictment involving cocaine, dog fights

A Columbus man and a Phenix City woman are among 11 suspects named in a 136-count federal indictment alleging a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of cocaine.

Among the other Columbus-area suspects are a man from Shiloh and two people from Talbotton. Two of them are accused of conspiring to possess and train fighting dogs, and of attending dog fights between May 2019 and February 2020.

Here’s a list of those named in the indictment unsealed Thursday in Macon:

• Kathy Ann Whitfield, 61, of Columbus.
• Jason Carter, 38, of Phenix City.
• Christopher Raines, 50, of Talbotton.
• Lekey Davis, 45, of Talbotton.
• Rodrick Walton, 40, of Shiloh, Georgia.
• Derrick Owens, 37, of Woodland, Georgia.
• Jarvis Lockett, 40, of Warner Robins, Georgia.
• Armard Davis, 41, of Fort Valley, Georgia.
• Shaquille Bentley, 26, of Roberta, Georgia.
• Bryanna Holmes, 24, of Fort Valley, Georgia.
• Vernon Vegas, 49, of Suwanee, Georgia.

Besides Carter and Whitfield, Lekey Davis, Armard Davis, Lockett, Owens, Raines, Bentley, Holmes and Vegas were indicted on charges they conspired to possess and distribute cocaine and cocaine base between May 2019 and February 2020.

Lockett, Holmes, Walton and Armard Davis also were indicted on additional charges related to possessing cocaine, authorities said.

The charges involving dog fighting allege that Lockett, Owens, Raines, Walton and Armard Davis conspired to sponsor dogs in fights, and to possess, train, transport and receive dogs for fights. The indictment also outlines alleged discussions about training and matching dogs for fighting, and lists fights suspects are accused of attending.

The fights were in Shiloh, Macon and in Melrose, Florida, the indictment said.

The suspects charged individually with owning dogs for engaging in fights were:

• Owens, 44 counts.
• Raines, 40 counts.
• Walton, 18 counts.
• Lockett, 15 counts.
• Armard Davis, nine counts.

This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 8:16 PM.

Tim Chitwood

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

706-571-8508

Tim Chitwood is from Seale, Alabama, and started as a police beat reporter with the Ledger-Enquirer in 1982. He since has covered Columbus’ serial killings and other homicides, following some from the scene of the crime to trial verdicts and ensuing appeals. He also has been a Ledger-Enquirer humor columnist since 1987. He’s a graduate of Auburn University, and started out working for the weekly Phenix Citizen in Phenix City, Ala.