U.S. DISTRICT COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS—Press release from the U.S. Attorney:
A federal grand jury in Benton, Illinois, has charged seven individuals with methamphetamine related offenses, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Those charged with various methamphetamine offenses are:
Daniel E. Pickens, 30, of Wheeler, Illinois; Rachel S. Priest, 37, of Wheeler, Illinois; Justin Pocrnich, 28, of Wheeler, Illinois; Deborah S. Rogers, 47, of Wheeler, Illinois; Kimberly A. Barker (Depositer), 32 of Watson, Illinois; Joshua R. Rodgers, 22, of Hidalgo, Illinois, and Savannah L. Ellis, 20, of Newton, Illinois.
The 26-count indictment charges all of the defendants with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. All of the defendants are also charged with possession of pseudoephedrine with intent that it bean used to manufacture methamphetamine. Defendant Pickens is also charged with maintaining a drug house with Rachel Priest and with several thefts of anhydrous ammonia.
Those charged with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine face 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine. Those charged with the other methamphetamine related offenses also face up to 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Illinois State Police, Southeastern Illinois Drug Task Force, United States Marshals Service, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office; the Effingham County States Attorney’s Office, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and the Jasper County States Attorney.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tom Leggans.
End press release
Note: many of you regular readers will recognize those names from previous issues, where the hard work of Jasper County sheriff’s authorities, under the leadership of Sheriff Ed Francis, brought these people to the forefront and ultimately got them federally charged. There are more in this issue of the print version, which article you can read here by getting an online membership for only $5.99 a month; get clicking!