The drug investigations unit of the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 17-year-old Statesboro female and a 39-year-old man from Martinez for a series of drug offenses on June 11.

Jessica Finch, 17, and Dennis William Godbee, 39, are being charged with possession of methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine, unlawful possession of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and conspiracy to commit a crime, according to Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie. Finch is being held in the Effingham County Jail and Godbee is being held in the Screven County Jail pending court appearances.

McDuffie said deputies responded to a motel room at the Microtel Inn and Suites in Rincon on a report of a 911 hang up. Upon the deputies’ arrival, they made contact with Finch and Godbee in a hotel room where they observed marijuana and other pills in plain view. Drug investigators were called to the scene and discovered additional drugs as well as tools for manufacturing in the hotel room.

“Drugs are pervasive in our society,” McDuffie said. “They are at the root of much of the violent crime that occurs in our communities. Most property crimes (burglary, theft, robbery, etc.) are drug users trying to get money to buy drugs. We must provide a safe environment for our children and a hostile environment for drug manufacturers and dealers.”