Five Vicksburg people, all known to city police after years of criminal charges and convictions — including one for manslaughter — were at police headquarters today following a citywide drug sweep before dawn.

Vicksburg police Lt. Bobby Stewart called the arrests “significant” because “they are selling drugs in our neighborhoods.”

“Hopefully, this will slow down the drug trade and illegal and illicit activities in the city of Vicksburg,” Stewart said.

The roundup that began before the sun was up was led by Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong.

• At 4:48, Cody Hollowell, 25, 205 Springridge Drive, was arrested at his home and charged with forgery of the prescription drug Dilaudid.

• At 5:03 a.m., Maegan Williams, 24, was arrested at her home at 620 Porters Chapel Road and charged with sale of a controlled substance.

• At 5:43 a.m., Jerry Kirkley, 55, 1979 Culkin Road, was arrested at 4407 N. Frontage Road, Lot 23, and charged with sale of Oxicontin, a controlled substance.

• At 5:55 a.m., Joel Wright, 54, convicted in 1994 of manslaughter, was arrested at his home at 1216 Bonelli St., and charged with the sale of Lorcet, another controlled substance. Wright was released from prison in 2002 after completing a nine-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction in Louisiana, Stewart said.

• At 6:09 a.m., Robert Curtis, 52, 1416 Martin Luther King Drive, was arrested at home and charged with sale of crack cocaine.

The morning’s first arrest, Hollowell, is in a program with the Warren County Drug Court after being convicted in 2009 of prescription forgery, Stewart said. He also was charged last year with contempt of court.

The only woman picked up this morning, Williams, was arrested last year on four counts of contempt of court, Stewart said. She also had been arrested for shoplifting in 2008, domestic violence in 2007 and petit larceny in 2006.

Curtis was charged with shoplifting in 2009; assault in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009; contempt of court in 2006, 2007 and 2008; possession of paraphernalia and sale of cocaine in 1997; and domestic violence in 2005.

Wright was arrested in Vicksburg for contempt of court in 2008, simple assault in 2006 and uttering a forgery and domestic violence in 2007, Stewart said.

Kirkley was charged with petit larceny in February and contempt of court last year, Stewart said.

During this morning’s roundup, Vicksburg assistant police Chief John Dolan said he remembered arresting Wright nearly 30 years ago.

Officials said they expect more arrests in today’s roundup, the second in two months by the department.

On April Fool’s Day, police visited six addresses before the sun rose, arresting six men on drug charges ranging from sale of cocaine, Lorcet and Xanax and possession of cocaine and ecstasy to possession of a weapon by a felon.

After that roundup, Armstrong, who has been chief since July, said he believes most of Vicksburg’s crimes stem from illegal drugs.