Petersburg Police Department Corporal Taylor Deffendoll has led several successful drug enforcement operations across Pike County in recent months, resulting in multiple arrests and convictions related to methamphetamine and synthetic cathinones.
In February and March 2025, Deffendoll’s testimony helped secure significant prison sentences in two related cases. Laura Bennett of Winslow received a 12-year sentence in the Department of Correction after being convicted of possessing more than ten grams of methamphetamine while armed with a firearm, a Level 3 Felony. Her co-defendant, James Clint Hughes, received a 14-year sentence for the same offense.
Building on these successes, Deffendoll assisted in the March 30 arrest of Joshua Brames of Petersburg after neighbors complained about drug paraphernalia left on their property. A subsequent search of a garage frequented by Brames yielded over 40 smoking pipes containing residue consistent with methamphetamine. Brames was arrested for methamphetamine possession, a Level 6 Felony.
Further investigation by Deffendoll, including examination of messages on Brames’s cell phone, revealed connections to Roger Douglas McCord of Stendal. On April 3, officers executed a search warrant at McCord’s residence, discovering additional drug paraphernalia and evidence of synthetic cathinone production. According to Deffendoll’s affidavit, McCord admitted to ordering substances from China to manufacture “bath salts,” which produce effects similar to amphetamines.
McCord now faces charges of dealing in a controlled substance or analog, a Level 6 Felony that carries potential penalties of six months to two-and-a-half years imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.
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