DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CONTACT: SUELLEN PIERCE
704.338.3120
FAX 704.227.0264
Three Iredell County Men Found Guilty in U.S. District Court STATESVILLE, NC - Three federal defendants – Kendrick Tremayne Oakley, Derrick Rayshawn Parks, and Jeffrey Lynn Myers - have been convicted by federal juries, in two separate trials in Statesville, for their part in the possession, sale, and delivery of cocaine and crack cocaine in Iredell and Catawba Counties. Today’s announcement is made by United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert of the Western District of North Carolina, who tried the cases, along with Iredell County Sheriff Phillip Redmond and Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Jeffrey Jordan. Kendrick Tremayne Oakley, 28, and Derrick Rayshawn Parks, 31, were convicted on January 24, 2007 on one count of conspiracy to distribute quantities of cocaine and cocaine base (crack cocaine) at the end of a six-day jury trial. The defendants were charged in an indictment returned by the federal grand jury for the Western District of North Carolina in December 2005. The trial of Oakley and Parks began on January 17, 2007. The case was part of a large group of cases, all of which were part of a federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation code-named “Harmony Rocks.” According to trial testimony, these two defendants were cocaine and crack cocaine distributors who obtained quantities of powder cocaine and crack from the Rick Eckles drug organization, operating in Harmony, N.C. These two defendants distributed their drugs in South Statesville and Rabbitown, areas that are part of the U.S. Justice Department’s Weed and Seed initiative in Statesville. According to court records, both men have previous felony drug convictions. U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert, who tried the case, said, “Evidence presented to the jury revealed a massive drug organization with sources in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte. The defendants were an integral part of this drug network. The misery associated with drug abuse is well documented. We will not tolerate the criminal behavior of those who distribute this poison in our communities.”
Jeffrey Lynn Myers, 43, was tried separately, and was convicted on January 26, 2007 after a three-day trial, of drug conspiracy, two counts of possession with intent to distribute crack, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of simple possession of cocaine. This defendant was charged in a third superseding bill of indictment by the federal grand jury in December 2006.
Evidence presented at Myers’ trial indicated that he was supplying a 19-year-old college student with crack cocaine for use and distribution. Court records indicate that Myers has three prior felony drug convictions, including a federal drug conviction from 1990.
The defendants Oakley and Parks each face no less than ten years and up to life imprisonment on their convictions, and Myers faces no less than five years and up to life imprisonment on his conviction. No sentencing dates have been set. All defendants have been in custody since their arrest.