CONTACT: 919/856-4530
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WEDNESDAY - November 9, 2005
RALEIGH - United States Attorney Frank D. Whitney announced that former Fayetteville Police Officer JARED BENJAMIN PARSEK along with eight others were indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday, October 20, 2005.
The indictment charges PARSEK, 26, of 1916 Manteo Street in Fayetteville, N. C. with one count of conspiracy to commit Civil Rights violations, six counts of substantive deprivation of rights, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, two counts of possession of stolen firearms, one count of the use and carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, one count of making false statements to an FBI agent, and one count of obstruction of justice by destroying an object.
Others named in the indictment are JUSTIN BARRON MCCARTY, 24, of 1011 Stamper Road, Fayetteville, N. C.; CHRISTOPHER PAUL EDGE, II, 23, of 1919 Cherokee Drive Fayetteville, N. C.; SCOTTY JOWAYNE CORNWELL, 24, of 3668 Camelot Drive, Maryville, TN; MICHAEL ULYSSES POOLE, JR., 26, of 1011 Stamper Road, Fayetteville, N. C.; WILLIAM FRANKLIN STAUSING, 26, of 612 Forrest Road, Fayetteville, N. C.; PATRICK GREGORY SMITH, 25, of 255 South Blackstock Road, Spartanburg, S. C.; JAMES PATRICK RICHLING, 25, of 738 North McMillan Avenue, Wilmington, N. C.; and MICHAEL ANTHONY TIMAL, 23, of 2349 Wilmington Highway, Fayetteville, N. C.
All defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit Civil Rights violations. In addition, MCCARTY is charged with four counts of substantive deprivation of rights, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and two counts count of possession of stolen firearms; EDGE is charged with one count of substantive deprivation of rights, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and one count of the use and carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; CORNWELL is charged with one count of substantive deprivation of rights and one count of possession of stolen firearms; POOLE is charged with three counts of substantive deprivation of rights, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and one count of the use and carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; STAUSING is charged with two counts of substantive deprivation of rights, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and one count of the use and carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; SMITH is charged with one count of obstruction of justice by destroying an object; RICHLING is charged with one count of substantive deprivation of rights and one count of possession of stolen firearms; and TIMAL is charged with one count of substantive deprivation of rights and one count of possession of stolen firearms.
The indictment alleges that beginning as early as September, 2003, and continuing to at least on or about November, 2004, the defendants, while acting under the color of law, entered into a scheme to use police methods, information and equipment to break-in to and steal firearms, narcotics, electronics and other property from at least six residences in Fayetteville, Raleigh, and Beech Mountain. PARSEK would gain information about target locations by having responded to a call himself or by learning of the location from his police radio. PARSEK would then communicate with and notify the civilian conspirators that based on knowledge he obtained while a police officer, certain residential locations were identified as being vacant or otherwise empty and ripe for the conspirators to break in to and steal property found at the target locations. Once target locations were identified, the civilian conspirators would act in concert with and at the direction of PARSEK to plan and execute the break-ins, identify and steal the desired property, escape and later divide up the property.
Investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fayetteville Police Department with assistance from the Raleigh Police Department, the Beech Mountain Police Department, the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office and the Wake County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas B. Murphy is prosecuting the case for the United States.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A trial date has not been set.
News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.
