Cheryl Steward Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to Murder of Captain Dennis Cagle

JACKSON, TN—Cheryl Freeman Steward, age 52, of Henderson, Tennessee, pled guilty today to charges related to the murder of Captain Dennis Cagle. Freeman pled guilty to two counts of attempted robbery affecting commerce, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951, and a being convicted felon that was prohibited from possessing a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(a)(6) and 924(a)(2) of the superseding indictment, announced Edward L. Stanton III, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.

The charges stem from the December 10, 2009, attempted robbery of the Save-A-Lot grocery store in Henderson, Tennessee committed by Cheryl Steward’s husband, Ricky Stewart. Ricky Stewart fired upon officers who responded to the robbery in progress, including Henderson Police Captain Dennis Cagle, who later succumbed to the injuries he received from a gunshot wound. Cheryl Steward will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge J. Daniel Breen on November 30, 2012 at 1:30 p.m.

The case was investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Henderson Police Department, and the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. District Attorney General Jerry Woodall and Assistant District Attorney Jody Pickens served as special counsel in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Victor L. Ivy prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

Rock Hill Man Sentenced to 20 Years After Being Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine

COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney Bill Nettles announced today Hendrick “Tony” Cousar (33) was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison. Cousar had previously been convicted after a trial of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine (Title 21, United States Code, Section 846). Mr. Nettles stated that based on the substantial drug weight found by the jury and Cousar’s prior drug convictions, Cousar was sentenced to a mandatory 20-year sentence by United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson.

Evidence presented at sentencing and during the trial from law enforcement and cooperating citizens showed that Cousar distributed substantial quantities of crack cocaine in and around Rock Hill, South Carolina. In 2004, Cousar was arrested, and subsequently convicted by York County, for the distribution of crack cocaine and distribution of crack cocaine in close proximity to a park. After being released from custody, Cousar resumed supplying crack cocaine. Law enforcement caught up with Cousar again when, in May 2011, agents utilized a cooperating citizen to make two controlled buys of crack cocaine from Cousar’s crack cocaine organization. Following his arrest on May 11, 2011, Cousar admitted to agents that over the last year he had been supplying hundreds of grams of crack cocaine in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Two of Cousar’s co-conspirators, George Gore and Laventa Murray, earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, and each was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

The case was investigated primarily by Chester County Sheriff’s Office, York County Multi-jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit, State Law Enforcement Division, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay N. Richardson.