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Project Safe Neighborhoods “Round-Up”

Release Date: May 25, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - DATE: May 25, 2006
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Leigh Anne Jordon @ 901-544-4231

Memphis, TN- David Kustoff, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, William L. Gibbons, District Attorney General for the 30th Judicial District, Director Larry Godwin of the Memphis Police Department, Sheriff Mark H. Luttrell with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, James Cavanaugh, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and David Jolley, United States Marshal for the Western District of Tennessee announce today that the Memphis Police Department’s (MPD) Organized Crime Unit and the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Unit consisting of officers, agents and deputies from the MPD, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the United States Marshal’s Service (USMS), conducted a joint round-up of state and federal defendants who have been charged in indictments resulting from investigations targeting street level narcotics trafficking and federal firearms violations occurring within the City of Memphis and Shelby County.

A total of 31 Federal Indictments and 24 State Indictments were returned earlier this week. The federal charges range from Convicted Felons in Possession of Firearms or Ammunition, Impersonation of a Federal Officer, Possession of Stolen Firearms, Possession of Body Armor, Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number, Theft of Firearms from the Mail, and Receipt of a Firearm while under Felony Indictment. The federal and state charges include various Drug Offenses, specifically: the possession with the intent to distribute Crack Cocaine, Powder Cocaine, Marijuana, Heroin and Ecstasy.

The 31 indictments returned by the Federal Grand Jury were the result of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Unit’s weekly review of all arrests in Shelby County where a firearm or ammunition is seized, and proactive investigations of violations of federal law by ATF’s Memphis Field Division. These cases were presented to a Federal Grand Jury on May 22 and 23, 2006 and will be prosecuted by the Firearms Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

The following individuals were charged in federal court:

Eddie Herndon, 28, Anthony Siggers, 23, Charles Humes, 55, Tomorrow Williams, 25, Dink Clark, 51, Derrick Brown, 31, Tyrone Robinson, 26, Essie Perry, 38, Freddie Powell, 47, Darell Jarrett, 28, Shane Lewis, 26, DeWayne McFerrin, 43, Melvin Johnson, 48, Marekus Glover, 24, Joe Lobbins, 42, Ruston Brown, 26, Charlie Seaborn, Jr., 30, Marcus Gillium, 29, Arthur Turner, 56, Larry Weeden, 52, John Crenshaw, 41, Edward Sanders, 44, Sammy Tidwell, 20, Brandon Clayton, 27, Robert Scales, 32, Lamario Sandlin, 27, Brian Cook, 27, Corry McKenzie, 29, Timothy Smith, 20, and Derrick Moore, 32.

As a result of information gathered during the course of these investigations cases were presented to the State Grand Jury for Shelby County. On May 23, 2006, the Grand Jury returned 24 indictments against 24 individuals. The state charges range from Class E to Class B felonies. Of the 24 state court defendants, three individuals are known gang members. The Street Gangs represented in the state court cases are the Gangster Disciples and Vice Lords. These cases will be prosecuted by the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office.

Many are in custody at this hour and the investigation is continuing.

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