2 from out of state charged in Monroe County drug investigation

Jonathan Daniel Lopez and Amy Nicole Patton(Monroe County Sheriff's Office)
Published: Jun. 29, 2022 at 6:22 PM EDT

FORSYTH, Ga. (CBS46) - Two people have been arrested following a drug investigation in Monroe County.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says it received a tip in reference to drug sales at America’s Best Value Inn in Forsyth.

Investigators learned there were two individuals involved, Jonathan Daniel Lopez, 40, of Miami, Florida, and Amy Nicole Patton, 41, of Morristown, Tennessee. During the investigation, they learned that Lopez had been arrested in June of last year by the Peach County Sheriff’s Office for trafficking methamphetamine and was currently out on bond.

Just after 9 p.m. on June 28, the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant for the room Lopez and Patton were occupying. They then realized the individuals were not inside the room. 

Investigators received information that as the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team was making entry, individuals saw what was happening and warned the two that their room was being raided. They also received a tip that the two individuals were hiding in a room close by. 

MCSO says Lopez and Patton were taken into custody without incident. They were found hiding in a room rented by a female identified as Bonita Johnson of Bowden, GA., who had an active warrant out of Monroe County for violation of probation and was also taken into custody.

After a search of Lopez and Patton’s room, investigators say they found a firearm, several grams of methamphetamine, several grams of ecstasy, including a pound of marijuana.

Lopez and Patton are charged with Trafficking Ecstasy, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Possession of Drug-related Objects.