A Pulaski County man identified by the FBI as a member of Little Rock's John Barrow street gang was ordered Friday by a federal magistrate judge to stay in jail while he awaits the resolution of federal charges against him related to a wide-ranging drug conspiracy investigation.
Dewarren "D Rose" Holmes, 28, of Maumelle, was indicted in early November as one of 26 defendants associated with a Pine Bluff street gang dubbed by authorities as the "Lodi Murder Mobb." That indictment was in conjunction with another 35 people named in a separate indictment over activities of a rival street gang known as "Every Body Killas," or "EBK," as well as four individual indictments. Holmes was indicted on counts of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and use of a communications facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Holmes' attorney, Dale West of Monticello, argued in favor of releasing Holmes to the custody of his mother, with whom he was living at the time of his arrest. West argued that despite several arrests for violent crimes in the past, neither of Holmes' previous two convictions involved violence. Juandretta Woods of Maumelle, Holmes' mother, said that she would make sure her son followed whatever terms of release he was given. She said Holmes "has been a good son" but acknowledged, "He may have picked some wrong friends to be around."
"He's welcome to stay at my home, but he will have to follow the rules," Woods said. "I'll make sure of that."
Under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Fields and later, U.S. District Judge Joe Volpe, Woods' recollections of details of her son's exploits grew hazy. She maintained that in a 2014 shooting case in which charges against Holmes were dropped, the victim had lied about his involvement. Fields suggested otherwise.
"You mean those charges that we beat?" Woods asked when Fields brought it up.
"Aggravated robbery, terroristic act, battery in the first degree and aggravated assault?" Fields asked.
"Yes, those charges that we beat, yes, ma'am," Woods said.
"The victim in that shooting picked both your boys out of a lineup," Fields said. "Is that correct?"
"To my understanding, he falsely identified them," Woods said. "That's why we beat the charges."
"Was it your understanding he just didn't cooperate with the prosecution and that's why you beat the charge?" Fields asked.
"To my understanding, he knew the people he was naming were innocent so he didn't come to court," Woods said.
"Well, I think we can agree he didn't show up," Fields said.
Despite Fields' assertions of numerous arrests and accusations against her son, Woods steadfastly maintained ignorance of many of his purported misdeeds, causing Fields to question more stridently Woods' appropriateness to serve as third-party custodian.
"Is it fair to say that your son has this whole other side to his life that's been going on for a long time now that you're just unaware of?" Fields asked.
"I don't think that would be fair to say because of lot of those charges and things that you're saying, he's never been found guilty of those charges," Woods said. "Like I said, he's picked the wrong friends to be around."
Judge Volpe noted that despite a number of offenses that never led to convictions, Holmes' history was troubling, with several violent incidents in the past as well as charges of fleeing police.
"One of my concerns is when I'm looking at these convictions," Volpe said, "and they are probation so he's been given a chance to do right ... Feb. 6, 2020 he's charged, so he had to have been placed on bond ... fifteen days later he's charged again.
"While some of these things are either nolle prossed or pending," Volpe continued, "he's still ... being charged with offenses during this whole period of time, not to mention the federal conduct that's been caught on the wire ... What do I make of this?"
Despite West's plea that Volpe consider a residential drug rehabilitation program as an alternative to jail, Fields arguing forcefully for his continued detention.
"He's been given chance after chance after chance after chance, yet he continues to find himself back with the same people," Fields said. "He's with violent people, he has violent weapons and he's engaged in a violent business."
Volpe agreed.
"It's a dope case but the dope cases are very violent," the judge said. "He's with others who are bringing a scourge or a plague on the communities they operate out of."