PRESS RELEASE
December 11, 2014

On 11 December 2014, 0800 hours, law enforcement agents from the ABC Board, Town of Bedford PD, and the Virginia State Police assisted the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Vice/Drug Unit, in the service of arrest warrants on eighteen persons charged with the distribution of illegal drugs and prescription drugs (pills, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin). The arrest took place throughout the county and in the Town of Bedford.

A list of persons arrested and the exact charges against them will be provided to the media as soon as possible.

“I want to commend the public for their assistance in this effort. We received information through our Facebook and Twitter accounts and our land line which assisted in our investigation. In this regard, I would encourage our communities to reach out to us if they have information on illegal drugs in their community. ALL information provided to us is kept CONFIDENTIAL!”

Taking these drug dealers out of our communities may have saved a life during this Christmas Holiday…citizens of Bedford County, keep up the good work!

As in past Christmas ‘Round Ups’, we presented every person arrested our, now famous, Miranda Christmas Card that is attached to this email. Most took it in the spirit of holiday giving and several weren’t too happy to get them.

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PRESS RELEASE
December 10, 2014

On October 5, 2011, investigators with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Vice Unit, obtained a State Search Warrant for the residence of Aston Earl McCrea, located at 3764 Spradlin Road, Goodview, Virginia. The search warrant was obtained as a result information provided by Roanoke City Police Department, Vice Unit, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Bedford County Investigators were informed that a UPS package was interdicted in Roanoke City containing approximately 50 pounds of marijuana and that a controlled delivery of the package would be delivered to a subject that resided at 3764 Spradlin Road, which is located in the Goodview area of Bedford County. Investigators then conducted a controlled delivery of the package to Mr. McCrea at his residence located in Bedford County. Bedford County Sheriff’s Office led a search warrant at McCrea’s home assisted by Department of Homeland Security Special Agents, the Roanoke City Police Department, and the Virginia State Police. A search of the residence located the marijuana shipment along with a firearm and currency.

The joint investigation revealed that McCrea was party to an interstate conspiracy to traffic large amounts of marijuana into Virginia where he arranged for distribution of the drugs in the Roanoke Valley and surrounding area. McCrea admitted to investigators to receiving large shipments of marijuana for several months and profiting approximately $77,000.00 from illegal marijuana sales. McCrea was charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The case was tried at the United States District Court in Roanoke, Virginia by the United States Attorney’s Office. After a two-day trial, the jury convicted McCrea of the charges. On September 7, 2012, the District Court sentence McCrea to 180 months of incarceration. After McCrea’s sentencing, the District Court ordered the seizure and forfeiture of McCrea’s residence at 3764 Spradlin Road, Goodview, Virginia

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently affirmed the forfeiture of McCrea’s property, which includes a single-family residence with approximately 49.54 acres of land. Homeland Security Investigations plans to secure the property this week.

This release was held until this date as the result of appeals on the sentence handed down and the seizure of the assets of the subject.

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PRESS RELEASE
November 21, 2014

Bedford County, the Epicenter of Illegal Prescription Pill Distribution in Central and Southwest Virginia – The Hammer Has Dropped

Operation Pain Train was initiated by Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Investigators in October of 2009. It originally started as a Counterfeit Money/Prescription Pill Distribution Case involving many of the same players that were indicted in Pain Train. Soon after initiating the case, an overdose death of methadone occurred. The methadone had been obtained from an illegal sale of the prescription medication. There was at least one other overdose death attributed to this operation.

There were several search warrants completed by Investigators of the BCSO and arrests were made in reference to the Counterfeit Money Operation. The focus was then turned to Narcotics Distribution and the Illegal Sale of Prescription Medication.

Bedford County Sheriff’s Office was ably assisted by the Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and vigorously prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office, Western District of Virginia. This investigation would not have been as successful as it turned out to be had it not been for the close knit association of all of these ‘team players’ and their overriding desire to ‘Sweep the field clean’ of the criminal elements that would ply their illegal trade to the citizens of Bedford County and other locations. Their efforts resulted in the indictments of 37 people on charges pertaining to the distribution and illegal sale of illicit narcotics and prescription medication.

The investigation took our investigative team to Virginia, DC, North Carolina, Florida and New Jersey

The 37 defendants are listed on the attachment along with time to be served, which totals to 170 years of prison time!

Judge Norman Moon, Western District, US Federal Court, Lynchburg, Virginia, presided over each of the 37 court hearings and his sentencing should have left no question in the minds of those who would choose the illegal drug trade as a business venture…don’t do it in the Western District of Virginia!

Property crimes have dropped since this case has been finalized.

Operation Pain Train Defendants
Name         Time to be served
Bryant Reynolds  108mo/9years
Jeff Reynolds  72mo/6years
Mark Campbell  90mo/7.5years
Matt Barlow  90mo/7.5years
Chad Overstreet  60mo/5years
George Lynch  48mo/4years
Dana Parker  66mo/5.5years
Danielle Reynolds  66mo/5.5years
Elizabeth Reynolds  21mo/1.75years
Chris O’Neal  72mo/6years
Josh Surprenant  12mo 1 day
Ronnie Cupp  204mo/17years
Cory Mowles  52mo/4years
Jerry Woolwine  52mo/4years
Wendy Hanner  8years
Johnny Rohton  47mo/4years
Kevin Jessee  36mo/3years
Tony Abee  48mo/4years
Robert Van Arsdale  32mo/2.6years
Jennifer Kirsche  36mo/3years
Scottie Andrews  36mo/3years
Andy Dooley  12mo 1 day
Brandon Turpin  48mo/4years
Jimmy Wheat  30mo/2.5years
Les Chris Burns  136mo/11.4years
Eric Nichols  60mo/5years
Teddy Gillespie  84mo/7years
John Gillespie  45mo/3.75years
Matt Miles  42mo/3.5years
Reva White  42mo/3.5years
Timmy White  42mo/3.5years
Tammy Henderson  24mo/2years
Timmy Nichols  41mo/3.5years
Colton Massie  24m/2years
Lewis Carroll  41mo/3.5years
Edgar Rawlings  42mo/3.5years
Jeff McCormick  166mo/13years 8mo

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