Twenty-Six Indicted For Methamphetamine Conspiracy
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee - A federal grand jury in Chattanooga returned a 38-count indictment on December 8, 2009, against HARRY ALLEN PRITCHETT, also known as “Osama” (49), JAMES GREEN, also known as “Bucky” (51), BOBBY ROLLINS, also known as “Bob” (48), EDDIE ROLLINS, also known as “Stump” (47), DAVID DEMPSEY, also known as “Lynn” (48 ), GREGORY LAYNE (42), TIMOTHY DAVIS, also known as “Fuzz Face” (37), LESLIE APGER (30), ANTHONY CALDWELL (37), JAMIE OSBORNE, also known as “Bryson” (32), BERRY NOLAN (41), RALPH LAYNE (20), HUNTER ANDREGG (30), CLARENCE GREEN, also known as “Stick” (43), LACY JAMES (24), ELLA KING (30), HALEY MCGOWAN (27), STEPHEN BAIRD (43), JEANNY RUNIONS (40), JESSIE JOHNSON (46), JESSE JOHNSON (23), GLENN SKILES, also known as “Rick” (53), DONNA SHROPSHIRE (35), CRYSTAL DAVIS (26), WENDY PATTERSON (37), and DONNIE ROGERS (32), of Bledsoe, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, and Sequatchie Counties, for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and to acquire and possess pseudoephedrine, a precursor chemical used to manufacture methamphetamine, as well as numerous substantive counts stemming from the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine, the illegal possession of firearms, and maintaining “drug houses,” located in various local counties in Tennessee. Investigators began arresting the defendants this morning and they will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge William B. Mitchell Carter this afternoon and tomorrow morning.
The indictment alleges that the conspiracy began in January 2007 and continued through December 2009. Documents filed with the courts indicate that two residences in Whitwell, Tennessee, and others in Dunlap, Tracy City, and Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, were maintained for the manufacture, distribution, and use of methamphetamine.
If convicted, these defendants each face a statutory mandatory minimum of ten to twenty years (depending on prior criminal history) up to life imprisonment on the conspiracy counts alone, as well as a $4,000,000 fine, and a minimum of five years of supervised release. Several defendants have extensive prior criminal histories and will face enhanced sentences.
This indictment is the result of an investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and assisted by the Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, and Grundy County Sheriff’s Departments, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Winne will represent the United States.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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