A Pope County man who was one of 54 people indicted in the 2017 investigation into drug trafficking and violence on the part of a white supremacist gang is facing possible life in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to a federal drug trafficking charge.
Dallas Standridge, 46, of Dover pleaded guilty to one count of narcotics trafficking before U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller in exchange for prosecutors dismissing a second conspiracy count against him.
According to U.S. statutes, the penalty for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine ranges from 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine, and five years to life of supervised release.
Standridge will be sentenced at a later date after completion of a presentence report compiled by the office of probation and pretrial services, which will calculate a sentencing range based on guidelines established by a number of factors, including Standridge's past criminal conduct and the severity of his current offense.
Standridge was indicted along with 53 other people on drug conspiracy and trafficking offenses connected to a violent prison gang known as the New Aryan Empire that authorities said engaged in murder, assault and other intimidation tactics to keep members and associates in line and to discourage cooperation with law enforcement. The gang's motto, "To the Dirt," symbolized that members joined for life.
Although Standridge was indicted along with a number of members of the New Aryan Empire, he was not believed to be a member and was not associated with any of the violent acts being prosecuted.
As Miller read the charge and asked Standridge if that was what he wished to plead guilty to, Standridge hesitated slightly before quietly answering yes to the question.
"I see you hesitated a little bit and closed your eyes," Miller said. "Is that because you really don't want to enter a plea of guilty or is it just difficult to come into a courtroom and enter a plea of guilty?"
"It's very difficult, your honor," Standridge replied, in a stronger voice.
"I understand," Miller responded kindly, then proceeded to outline Standridge's rights, federal sentencing procedures and the statutory sentence range he faces.
After Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Mazzanti outlined the plea agreement that had been worked out with Standridge's attorney, Donald Etherly of Helena-West Helena, Standridge entered his plea to the single conspiracy count, at which time remaining drug possession counts were dismissed.
To date, 50 of the 54 defendants in the case have been sentenced, or have entered pleas and are awaiting sentencing.
Earlier Wednesday, Wesley Gullett, the outside-of-prison president of the New Aryan Empire, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and narcotics conspiracy, which spared him a possible life sentence on charges ranging from attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons violations.
Gullett was believed to have attempted to arrange the murder of a witness who later was shot to death, and to have ordered the kidnapping and torture of two other witnesses to discourage them from testifying against another gang member in a weapons case.
Three defendants, Lesa Standridge, Marcus Millsap and Christopher Buber are scheduled to go to trial Sept. 7. A fourth defendant, Troy Loadholdt, is a fugitive and is being sought by law enforcement, according to the U.S. attorney's office.