DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GRETCHEN C.F. SHAPPERT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2008

CONTACT: SUELLEN PIERCE
704.338.3120
FAX 704.227.0264

CALDWELL COUNTY DRUG DEFENDANTS CONVICTED BY FEDERAL JURY Caldwell County Drug Conspiracy Defendants Awaiting Sentencing STATESVILLE, NC - A federal jury in the Western District of North Carolina, Statesville Division, convicted Thomas Isbell, 48, and Jonathan Patterson, 37, following a tenday trial in Statesville which ended on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. The guilty verdict concluded an investigation of long-time, street level cocaine and crack cocaine trafficking which led to the indictment of 23 individuals for federal drug violations in 2006. The 30-count federal indictment charged conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine powder and cocaine base, otherwise known as “crack” cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine powder and “crack” cocaine. Numerous defendants earlier entered pleas of guilty on counts of possession with intent to distribute illegal drugs. U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert, who tried the case before the Honorable Richard L. Voorhees in U.S. District Court, made the announcement today.

Joining U.S. Attorney Shappert in making today’s announcement are Nathan T. Gray, Special Agent in Charge of North Carolina FBI Operations, Sheriff Alan Jones of Caldwell County, Chief Joey Reynolds of the Lenoir Police Department, and Director Robin Pendergraft of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Substantial investigative assistance was also provided by officers of the Burke County Narcotics Task Force.

The federal indictment charging Thomas Isbell and Jonathan Patterson along with 21 other individuals was filed in 2006 in United States District Court. To date all of the defendants have been either convicted at trial or have entered pleas of guilty. The charges represent the results of a lengthy investigation focused on a group operating in and around Lenoir, North Carolina. Carried out under the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program of the U.S. Department of Justice, the investigation was initiated in 1996 and code-named “K-9 Posse.” The original investigation grew larger and eventually became “Operation Carousel.” The overall investigation has resulted in numerous federal indictments beginning in1996 when the first indictment coming out of the “K-9 Posse” investigation was handed down. The 2006 indictment upon which Isbell and Patterson were convicted last week alleged that all 23 defendants were members of a conspiracy that went on from about January of 1993 to April of 2006, in Caldwell, Burke, and Catawba Counties, and elsewhere within the Western District of North Carolina. The indictment also alleged possession with the intent to distribute both cocaine powder and crack cocaine in more than a dozen single counts. Isbell and Patterson are the remaining two defendants represented by the long and very successful “K-9 Posse” and “Operation Carousel” investigations. In all, 89 separate individuals were charged with federal drug crimes over a period of ten years.

Evidence presented at the January/February 2008 trial of Isbell and Patterson revealed a long-term organization of street-level cocaine and crack cocaine distributors operating in the West End, Harpertown, Dulatown, and Town & Country neighborhoods of Lenoir, North Carolina. Witnesses described a video-surveillance camera on the residence of one of the drug dealers, the kidnapping of another drug dealer for payment of a drug debt, the “cooking” of cocaine into crack cocaine, and long-term drug addiction by several customers of this drug organization.

U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert, who prosecuted the case at trial, thanked law enforcement for their dedication to this long-term investigation which began in 1996. “The impact on several fragile communities in Caldwell County cannot be overstated,” Shappert said. “Open-air drug markets have been eradicated, a blatant disregard for law enforcement has been confronted head-on, and an aggressive network of drug dealers has been dismantled. The work continues, but we have made significant progress in our efforts to eradicate crack dealing in Lenoir,” said the Western District’s top law enforcement official. Shappert expressed deep appreciation for the hard work and dedication of Special Agent Jeff Eddins of the North Carolina SBI and Sergeant David Barbour of the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office. “Eddins and Barbour are incredible law enforcement officers,” she said. “Together, they dedicated literally hundreds of hours to investigating and apprehending the members of this drug conspiracy. Despite considerable challenges, they refused to give up. They were committed to taking back the streets of Lenoir for the good people who live there, and together, they have succeeded. We owe them a debt of gratitude.”

Following the ten-day trial, the federal jury deliberated approximately six hours. With the announcement of the convictions, presiding U.S. District Judge Richard L. Voorhees advised that sentencing for the two convicted last week, along with some of their co-defendants, would take place later in 2008. Both defendants Isbell and Patterson were convicted on the drug conspiracy count (federal conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base “crack”). Patterson faces a minimum of 20 years in federal prison, up to life imprisonment. Isbell faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years up to life in prison. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.

THOMAS JOSEPH ISBELL
STATUS: IN FEDERAL CUSTODY AWAITING SENTENCING

JONATHON TERRELL PATTERSON
STATUS: IN FEDERAL CUSTODY AWAITING SENTENCING