TEXARKANA -- Two Somerset, Ky., men accused of possessing about 125 pounds of cocaine at the time of a traffic stop last month in Hempstead County will remain free while their cases proceed, a federal judge ruled Friday.
Johnnie Adams, 37, and Curtis Troxtle, 33, appeared Friday morning for detention hearings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant. Both men are named in a criminal complaint pending in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas.
At a joint detention hearing Friday morning, Texarkana lawyer Cory Floyd called Troxtle's fiancee to testify. Kirsten Raisor described her future spouse as a loving father and hard worker, touting his 14-year stretch of employment with the United Parcel Service. Under cross examination by Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones, Raisor denied any knowledge of drug trafficking by Troxtle and Adams. Other members of Troxtle's family sobbed during the hearing.
Members of Adams' family were present in court and gave testimony under questioning by Little Rock lawyer John Wesley Hall. Adams' wife, Beth Adams, testified that she was unaware that her husband of 13 years was using his private plane to ferry drugs from south Texas to Michigan, as he is accused of doing on multiple occasions.
In closing remarks, Floyd emphasized Troxtle's life-long status as a resident of Somerset, his lack of prior felony convictions and his compliance with a Kentucky court tasked with addressing a past driving while intoxicated arrest. Hall also focused on Johnnie Adams' deep ties to Somerset, his status as a small-business owner/employer and willingness to surrender his pilot's license and passport.
Jones reminded the court that the charges facing the men "are not your average drug case," as he spoke of the cocaine found in a rented SUV as it passed Oct. 29 through Hempstead County. Jones said the absence of prior felony convictions for the men simply shows "they've never been caught before," and he described them as "experienced drug traffickers."
Jones argued that classifying the men's alleged conduct as a "mistake," as their family members did, overlooks the planned and calculated nature of the conduct of which they're accused. Jones said it is likely the men will be indicted on an offense for which there is a minimum 10-year prison term.
Ultimately, Bryant granted release to both men. They will be supervised by U.S. probation officials based in London, Ky., a town about half an hour from Somerset. Each man must wear a GPS leg monitor, and restrictions on their travel were imposed. Adams was warned not to fly an aircraft while his case is pending, and the co-defendants were told they may not have contact with each other.
State Desk on 11/11/2018