U.S.

Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Eastern District of Arkansas

425 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 500 (501) 340-2600

Post Office Box 1229
Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-1229

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Christopher R. Thyer

February 14, 2017 United States Attorney
501-340-2600

FORTY-ONE VRN INDICTMENTS TARGET

VIOLENT OFFENDERS IN PULASKI COUNTY

LITTLE ROCKChristopher R. Thyer, United States Attorney for the Eastern

District of Arkansas, Jeffrey Reed, Resident Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Larry Jegley, Prosecuting Attorney for the Sixth
Judicial District, Diane Upchurch, Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock Field
Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kenton Buckner, Chief of Little
Rock Police Department (LRPD), and Mike Davis, Chief of North Little Rock Police
Department (NLRPD), announced today 41 separate federal cases brought under the
Violence Reduction Network (VRN) initiative in recent months.

These VRN cases target some of the most violent offenders in Pulaski County, and
highlight law enforcements commitment to widespread collaboration between federal
and local law enforcement partners in Pulaski County to help reduce violent crime. The
United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas has worked with the
ATF, LRPD, NLRPD, and Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorneys Office to return
41 indictments charging individuals with various gun and drug crimes, with most of the
indictments being returned in the past six months. All 41 defendants are convicted felons,
and many have examples of violence in their past.

The individuals targeted in our VRN initiative are among the most dangerous
members of their community, Thyer said. Removing them and their guns from the
streets of Pulaski County is a top priority, and makes our community a safer place to live.
But know thiswhile we are pleased to announce these 41 indictments, by no means are
the law enforcement officers of this community finished with the work of seeking out and
stopping those individuals who unfortunately bring gun violence into everyday life.

The indictments are all part of the VRN initiative, a network Little Rock joined in
2015. The VRN uses a comprehensive approach to reducing violent crime in select
communities around the country. Through the VRN, the Justice Department enlists
tactical and operational expertise available from its various federal components to assist
local police forces in targeted efforts to eliminate the worst criminals from communities.
Little Rock, along with West Memphis, will be a part of the VRN through September.

The pursuit of justice concerning the judicial presentation of 41 defendants

through the VRN initiative demonstrates the focus and commitment of the ATF to serve
the citizens of the Little Rock and North Little Rock municipalities, Reed said. The
ATF is committed to working with the Little Rock Police Department, the North Little
Rock Police Department, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the
United States Marshals Service (USMS), and the United States Attorney Office
concerning investigations involving violent offenders who illegally possess firearms
within Arkansas. The ATF will continue these investigative efforts with our law
enforcement partners in a determined fashion to provide the service expected by the
citizens of Arkansas. Note that these collaborative efforts are in the pursuit of a safer
living environment for the citizens of both Little Rock and North Little Rock, and that the
ATF will be unwavering in that mission.

The prior convictions of the 41 defendants include manslaughter, rape, aggravated

assault, car-jacking, robbery and aggravated robbery, residential burglary, domestic
battery, delivery of controlled substances and possession with intent to deliver controlled
substances, simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, and being a felon in
possession of a firearm.

Forty of the 41 indictments announced today contain various federal gun charges,
including being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition, possessing a firearm
while under a felony information, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-
trafficking crime (see attached list). In addition, several defendants are charged with
stand-alone drug crimes. Four of the defendants are still pending arrest, while the
remaining 37 are in various stages of prosecution.

The Little Rock Police Department is proud of our relationships with The US
Attorney's Office and all of our federal partners, Chief Buckner said. We have at least
one officer assigned to ATF, FBI, DEA, USMS, and IRS. These relationships are
essential to providing public safety in the capitol city.

The indictments primarily stemmed from cases initially investigated by the Little
Rock Police Department or the North Little Rock Police Department. Following state
arrests in many instances, these cases were then recommended for federal prosecution by
the Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorneys Office. Cases targeted for federal
prosecution include those with defendants who have extensive or violent criminal history,
or whose present crime is particularly egregious or violent.
 Todays announcement, and the federal and local components continued efforts
as part the VRN in Little Rock and West Memphis, illustrate the Department of Justice
and new administrations commitment to reducing crime in the nation, as detailed in a
series of Executive Orders recently enacted. This commitment to public safety will
remain the steadfast mission of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of
Arkansas, and all law enforcement officers in our community who are sworn to protect
and serve.

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