LAWRENCE CO. – The vociferous wailing of relatives/friends of a Lawrenceville woman caught up in a federal meth conspiracy charge prompted Disclosure to look a little more closely at what’s going on with her.
Not only was Tammy Gillespie a county employee, but it appears she was living off the taxpayers in other ways, as well.
And when Disclosure researched the matter, it was discovered that many who know her claim Gillespie had gotten pulled into the alleged dope world by none other than a former dope-slinging Lawrenceville cop, Tony Jarvis.
Gillespie was working in the county tax assessor’s office when she was indicted by the feds in October on a massive conspiracy ring that has been traced up to Indianapolis, thanks to the bust of Richland/Edwards/Clay county doper Josh Millman.
Not only was Gillespie, 34, collecting a taxpayer-funded paycheck, but was living of taxpayer-funded digs at 10 Mills Terrace, Lawrenceville, also known as government housing.
This was where she was when authorities caught up with her with not only federal, but now, state charges of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine after authorities say on or about October 15, while snug in her taxpayer supported housing, she possessed less than five grams of meth.
The arrest warrant was executed by chief of police Jim White Oct. 23.
Gillespie was released from police custody that same day after a $5,000 cash bond was posted on her behalf by Tim Gillespie, 44, of 4925 North Watergate Rd., Olney.
The biggest shocker came, however, when a week after Gillespie’s story hit the front page of the November issue of Disclosure, several people who know her stepped forward in order to advise that she’d lately been seeing Jarvis, who lost his job after a Lawrence County grand jury established that there were a few public officials (among them, school superintendent Joe Novseck) who were having some problems with cocaine.
Whether Gillespie was or is still seeing Jarvis may or may not explain her involvement in the area’s alleged dope trade, which friends and relatives took to the bandwidths after the article was released, screeching about how wonderful of a girl Gillespie is and how no one should be writing about her alleged criminal antics.
State charges hadn’t yet been filed when Disclosure was getting the barrage of hate mail about coverage of Gillespie’s federal charges.
Gillespie makes a first appearance on the Lawrence County charge November 25.