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Police raided a home in Cottonwood Heights today and arrested a mother and her teenage son for selling drugs. Police say the pair's customers were other teenagers.
The Olson family home, in a quiet neighborhood near several schools, was allegedly a retail shop for illegal drugs.
Police have been investigating goings-on there for the last few weeks. But at least one neighbor says it's been going on for years.
Police call it a brazen drug operation. Some of the customers came from area schools. They say kids as young as 15 could simply knock on the door and buy OxyContin and oxycodone.
"This seems to be the retail outlet for this type of drug. By word of mouth, obviously, some of the young people knew this to be the place they could buy this kind of drug," said Beau Babka, with the Cottonwood Heights Police Department.
The suspects covered their heads as police marched them from the home; they are 48-year-old Luanne Olson and her 19-year-old son Jace.
The two were released from custody late this afternoon, but charges are expected to be filed against them sometime next week.
Police say they found tens of thousands of dollars in cash and about 2,000 pills in the suspects' home. They now believe it was an even bigger operation than they first suspected, netting tens of thousands of dollars in business each month.
The investigation by the new Cottonwood Heights Police Department began about a month ago because neighbors were complaining about suspicious activity. Now investigators have turned up evidence the suspects obtained the prescription drugs illegally from pharmacies and sold them to at least two dozen young people.
"Apparently they have been distributing it to very young kids, teenage kids, and kids just out of high school," Babka said.
One neighbor said the Olson family has had a rough time since last year when Jace was badly injured in a car crash. But the neighbor said he believes the drug activity began well before that.
Jace's father came home from work while police were still there. He denied knowing anything about drug sales.
Some neighbors expressed shock. Others were not the least bit surprised. Heather Dodd says she met Jace walking around the neighborhood. She's glad police made the arrests since she has young kids.
Another neighbor told us she's been hoping for years this home would get busted. She said her best friend's little sister has been buying drugs here.
A neighbor who wanted to remain anonymous said, "There'd be some all-night parties going on, things along those lines. You would see some car traffic. Growing up on the street, you kind of know what goes on in your neighborhood."
But Jim Lindsay, who lives next door, told us he was totally shocked by the charges against his long-time neighbors.
"They've been here 10, 12 years at least. I've never had any problem with them. (They've) been real good," he said.
Investigators say they identified about two dozen kids who bought drugs from the home, ranging in age from 15 to 21. Police say they followed up on evidence and made undercover buys themselves at the Olson residence.
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
E-mail: hollenhorst@ksl.com
