Fourteen Anson County Residents Charged With Narcotics Conspiracy, Armed Robbery, and Federal Firearms Violations

Coordinated Multi-Agency Law Enforcement Strike Shuts Down Local Drug Conspiracy

CHARLOTTE, NC — Eleven perpetrators allegedly involved in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine in Anson and Union Counties, two perpetrators who allegedly committed an armed robbery of the CQ Mart in Wadesboro, NC on January 11, 2010, and an individual alleged to have committed federal firearms offenses have been charged in three separate federal bills of indictment. Today’s announcement is made by U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins of the Western District of North Carolina, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Operations in North Carolina Owen D. Harris, Zebedee Graham, Special Agent in Charge of ATF for North and South Carolina, Tony Underwood, Special Agent in Charge of the Southern Piedmont Office of the North Carolina SBI, Chief Janie Schutz of the Wadesboro Police Department, Sheriff Tommy Allen of Anson County, and Chief Rodney Monroe of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The alleged drug conspiracy lasted from about 2007 to about May 17, 2010, and is alleged to have been carried out within the Western District of North Carolina, in Anson and Union Counties.

“Today’s indictments underscore our continuing efforts to prosecute drug conspiracies and related crimes through collaborative efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Tompkins. “The town of Wadesboro, like many small towns in our district, has struggled with the problem of crack cocaine distribution. This investigation and the resulting prosecutions will clearly impact this community in a positive way,” she added.

In addition to the criminal indictment, the United States filed a civil forfeiture action on Friday, May 21, against a house located at 982 Salisbury Street in Wadesboro. According to the complaint, the record owner of the house is T. Willie Bennett. Mr. Bennett is not charged in any of the federal criminal indictments. The forfeiture complaint alleges that since at least 2002, numerous persons have used the property as a place to meet in order to buy, sell, and possess with intent to sell and distribute controlled substances. Owners and other persons with a legal interest in the property are given notice of the complaint and allowed to file a claim and an answer.

Cedrick Little, Kendrick Parsons, Shaun Burns, Adrian Parker, Gecoby Hailey, Clayton C. Kersey, Duncan O. Borden, Katrina Gould, Jasmine Gatewood, Paul Long and Harvey Lee Sturdivant are named defendants in a federal bill of indictment filed under seal in U.S. District Court in Charlotte on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. In addition, Anthony Markee Allen and Antonius O’Keefe Owens are named in a second federal bill of indictment, and Robert Lamar Smith is charged in a third federal indictment. All of the defendants are from Anson County; most of them are from Wadesboro. Most of the defendants were arrested Friday morning, May 21 on the federal charges. Information and status of each defendant is listed below.

In the drug conspiracy indictment, (US v. Little, et al Docket Number 3:10cr87) eleven defendants have been charged with crack cocaine distribution conspiracy (count one), while Paul Long, Katrina Gould, Clayton Cadarius Kersey and Shaun Burns are each charged additionally in separate and individual counts alleging possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in Anson and Union Counties on dates in 2009 and 2010. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation.

The federal indictment against Anthony Markee Allen and Antonius O’Keefe Owens (US v. Allen, et al Docket Number 3:10cr88) alleges that those two defendants carried out a violent armed robbery of the CQ Mart on Highway 74 West in Wadesboro on January 11, 2010. According to the allegations contained in that federal indictment, Allen and Owens armed themselves, walked to the CQ Mart, disguised themselves by covering their heads and faces, entered the CQ Mart and brandished firearm. One defendant is alleged to have discharged a firearm while in the CQ Mart.

The third federal indictment announced today charges a single defendant, Robert Lamar Smith (US v. Smith Docket Number 3:10cr89) with two counts alleging violations of the federal firearms statutes: being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession a firearm which was not registered to him.

The case is being handled for the government by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas T. Cullen and Adam Morris. The investigation, which was developed over a period of approximately nine months and which is ongoing, was initiated by the Wadesboro Police Department and spearheaded by FBI’s “Safe Streets Task Force” of which the Charlotte- Mecklenburg Police Department is a member. Significant support was provided by ATF and the Anson County Sheriff’s Office. Substantial assistance in the investigation came from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

U.S. Attorney Tompkins also expressed appreciation for the extensive cooperation of all the participating law enforcement agencies: “Without the outstanding cooperation of these law enforcement agencies, today’s indictments would not have been possible,” she said.

The charges contained in the indictments are only allegations. In the American justice system, a person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty at trial or by guilty plea. If convicted, the defendants charged with crack cocaine conspiracy face a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years imprisonment and a $4 million fine on the conspiracy count alone. Allen and Owens, if convicted on counts one and two, face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years imprisonment. If convicted on count three, they each face a mandatory consecutive term of ten years. Smith, if convicted, faces a maximum statutory penalty of ten years on both counts alleging firearms violations.