Wendy's Employees Sold Meth From Canton Restaurant: Cops

CANTON, GA — Four employees at a Wendy's restaurant are accused of selling methamphetamine out of the fast food joint in Canton, according to an agency tasked with cracking down on drug distribution in Cherokee County.

The discovery came to light following an extensive investigation conducted by the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics squad related to allegations that the drugs were being sold out of the restaurant at 102 Riverstone Parkway.

CMANS agents executed a search warrant Thursday, June 21 at the location, which forced the restaurant to temporarily halt operations. The investigation unearthed that four employees, to include manager, a cook and two others who worked at the location, were "dealing small amounts of drugs out of the restaurant and had been doing so for several weeks."

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Those arrested and charged were:

• Zachary Jerome Donley, 27, of Tate; four counts of sale of methamphetamine;
• Kristal Dawn Hogan, 32, of Canton; one count of possession of meth and four counts of sale of meth;
• Amanda Jean McCartney, 36, of Canton: one count of possession of meth; and
• Jeffery Levi Justus, 26, of Canton: one count of possession of meth.

"This is a concern, since innocent customers were at the restaurant when CMANS agents were observing drug deals in the parking lot area and inside the facility," said CMANS Commander Phil Price. "In this case, it was not the quantities of drugs, but the risk to the public, that concerned us.”

Glenn Varner, vice president of operations for Hoover Food, a franchisee of Wendy's, said the safety of employees and customers is the business's top priority. Those four employees, he added, are no longer employed with Wendy's.

"We do not condone any sort of illegal activity in our restaurants, and we will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement on their investigation," Varner added.

The Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad is a joint task force working in Cherokee County to investigate drug related violations. Participating agencies include the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, Canton Police Department, Woodstock Police Department, Holly Springs Police Department, Ball Ground Police Department, Cherokee County Marshal’s Office, District Attorney’s Office for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, and Georgia State Patrol. Citizens can call in tips anonymously to (770) 345-7920, or may speak to an agent by calling (678) 493-7625.

Photo: From left to right are Zachary Donley, Kristal Hogan, Jeffrey Justus and Amanda McCartney. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office