Carroll County sheriff’s investigators arrested six people Monday who were believed to have been buying ephedrine pills across the county to manufacture methamphetamine in Alabama.

Lindsey Bailey, 22, of Roanoke, Ala.; Thomas Ussery, 29, of Roanoke; Kassey Herren, 22, of Woodland, Ala.; Greg Dixson, 24, of Bowdon; Jason Yates, 36, of Bowdon; and Jeremy Keller, 29, of Bowdon, were charged with possession of ephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine.

The arrests came after two vehicles carrying the suspects were stopped about 5 p.m. on Highway 166 in Bowdon and on the 166 Bypass near Hay’s Mill Road, according to authorities.

Inv. Telisha Gibson said the group had about 300 to 400 ephedrine pills in their possession. They allegedly purchased the pills earlier that day from several pharmacies in Bowdon and Carrollton and intended to bring them to an undisclosed house in Alabama where the ephedrine from the pills would be extracted to produce the highly addictive narcotic.

Under state law, all pharmacies and stores selling over-the-counter medication containing ephedrine must keep a log containing the customer’s driver’s license information for each purchase of the drug, which is an ingredient in many common cold medicines.

Gibson said one of the pharmacies the suspects had been to Monday had tipped off investigators, who followed the two vehicles and conducted surveillance on the six people before the vehicles were pulled over.

All six of the people charged admitted to buying the blister packages of ephedrine-based cold medicine for the purposes of manufacturing methamphetamine, according to authorities. Gibson said one package of ephedrine pills, which costs about $9, was going to be traded for about $50 worth of meth in Alabama.

At the time of the arrests, Ussery was serving probation for possession of methamphetamine in Troup County after recently completing probation for methamphetamine in Alabama. Keller was serving probation for possession of ephedrine with the intent to distribute in Georgia, according to deputies.

The Sheriff’s Office keeps a log of ephedrine purchases from local pharmacies to be used to identify repeat buyers of the medication. Gibson said a statewide database of ephedrine purchases does not exist. If it did, she said, it could help local investigators find people who buy the pills from multiple jurisdictions at one time.

Gibson said the six charged had come to Carroll County from Alabama to avoid detection in the Alabama communities, but also because the sheer quantity of pills sought could not have been purchased in one community. One of the suspects, according to authorities, said the group had expanded its ephedrine-buying program to include an area within a 100-mile radius.

“This law does make an impact in stopping the manufacturing in its early stages by taking the ephedrine component out,” said sheriff’s Capt. Shane Taylor. “It allows us to monitor people using above what should be the normal amount of the health medication before they can take the pills to make meth.”

Some of those charged Monday told investigators they had been shopping illegally in the county since October and routinely came to Carrollton about two to three times a week hitting at least six local pharmacies in search of ephedrine, according to Gibson.

If convicted the charge could carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

• A Carrollton man who allegedly tried to fight officers was caught as he tried to run from police through yards and behind houses while carrying drugs.

Carrollton police Capt. Chris Dobbs said officers were able to subdue Eddie Frank Satterwhite after an attempt to Taser him failed. Satterwhite allegedly struggled with the police who had been chasing him shortly before 4 a.m. Friday along Martin Luther King and Lambert streets.

Dobbs said Satterwhite ran toward Lambert Street as police tried to detain him for an outstanding warrant out of Troup County. At one point during the chase, police said an officer had grabbed Satterwhite, who fought with the officer before police fired a Taser that missed him.

Police continued to chase Satterwhite behind homes before he was finally tackled.

A crack pipe holding a small amount of suspected cocaine was allegedly found in his pocket during the arrest, and another bag of suspected crack was discovered in his coat once Satterwhite was taken to the county jail on charges of obstruction and possession, police said.

• Carrollton police are investigating two gas stations that were hit by possible would-be thieves or vandals early Friday morning within two hours of each other.

Police Capt. Chris Dobbs said the Stop and Shop on Newnan Road was first targeted before 2 a.m. after two men broke the glass on the front door of the convenience store. Video surveillance at the store showed two men, who were dressed in dark clothes and jeans, throw a rock through the door, shattering the glass.

Dobbs said police were sent to the store after a sheriff’s deputy on patrol saw the damaged door. Police do not believe the men ever entered the store, and the store’s owner did not report anything missing.

Nearly two hours later, police were sent to the Quik Pik on Alabama Street after the store’s alarm sounded.

Again, glass was broken on the store’s window but, again, the store owner did not notice any merchandise missing, Dobbs said.

Investigators believe the two incidents could be related since the crimes happened within a narrow window of time, according to Dobbs.

Police were not sure if the men were attempting to steal items from the store or were there to vandalize the businesses.

Anyone with any information on the incidents may call Crime Stoppers at 770-838-STOP. All callers may choose to remain anonymous, and a cash reward is offered for information leading to an arrest.

• Two brothers were charged with burglary after police found the men inside a Villa Rica hotel room this weekend.

Villa Rica police Capt. Brian Camp said Jason Charles Payne, 25, and Geoffry Payne, 22, both from Villa Rica, had been drinking before they began arguing while staying in room 14 at the Maple Street Lodge on Maple Street.

Camp said police were sent to the hotel after someone called and complained that a man in his underwear was banging on the lodge’s doors. When police arrived they found one of the rooms ransacked with clothing littered on the floor, but the brothers were not inside.

While officers were searching the halls, Camp said police found the brothers inside another hotel room that was not rented to them, and both men were allegedly intoxicated and smelled of alcohol.

Geoffry Payne told police he had broken into the room to escape from his brother following a physical altercation between the two men. Police said Jason Payne was bleeding from his forehead, and Geoffry Payne had scratches on his stomach. Both men were treated at Tanner Medical Center-Villa Rica before being charged with burglary and criminal damage to property.

“Although it is unfortunate police were called because of two brothers fighting, officers were able to arrive before the situation escalated even further,” Camp said.