During the late night hours of Monday, Dec. 27, Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD) Community Action Team members and Patrol officers successfully apprehended a male subject who had previously escaped custody after having been detained with trafficking amounts of heroin.
On Wednesday, Dec. 22, Buster Lee Biddix, a 36-year-old male of Cherokee, was charged with, among other things, Drug Trafficking and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia in connection with approximately fourteen (14) grams of Heroin. While detained and handcuffed on Dec. 22, Biddix fled from CIPD Officers and remained at-large until he was apprehended without further incident on Dec. 27.
At this time, Biddix has only been charged with the crimes referenced above and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Biddix was previously convicted of Resisting Lawful Arrest in October 2021 and on supervised probation at the time of his most recent interactions with law enforcement.
Biddix was arraigned in Tribal Court on his new offenses on the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 29, and is currently being detained without bond. At the request of the Office of the Tribal Prosecutor, Biddix’s next Court date will be Jan. 5, 2022.
“I am grateful for the persistence of the CIPD Officers who have pounded the pavement to track this individual down. I hope our Cherokee community members are enjoying happy holidays with their friends and family. Unfortunately, crime doesn’t take a break over the holidays so those connected with the criminal justice system—like our police department and our Tribal prosecutors—keep showing up and doing what is needed to keep the Qualla Boundary safe,” stated Cherokee Chief of Police Joshua Taylor.
- CIPD release
