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June 11, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Columbus, Ohio, Resident Arrested on Drug Charges

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA — A 30 year old Columbus, Ohio, resident was arrested today (June 11, 2009) on charges contained in an Indictment returned by a Federal Grand Jury on June 2, 2009.

United States Attorney Sharon L. Potter announced that DARWIN DWAYNE HUTCHINS a/k/a DEE was charged in eight drug-related counts. Specially, the Indictment alleges that HUTCHINS conspired to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base from January 2009 to June 2009 in the Wheeling area; unlawfully used the public telephone system to distribute cocaine on three occasions, and distributed cocaine base within 1,000 feet of Woodsdale Elementary School on four occasions.

HUTCHINS had an initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge James E. Seibert and was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending an arraignment and detention hearing on Tuesday, June 16, 2009, at 10:30 a.m.

If convicted, HUTCHINS faces a maximum penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment and a fine of $4,000,000 on the conspiracy count; a maximum penalty of four years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 on each of the phone counts; and a maximum penalty of 40 years imprisonment and a fine of $2,000,000 on each of the four distribution counts.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John C. Parr. The case was investigated by the Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crime Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Task Force consists of officers from the Wheeling Police Department, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

It should be noted that the charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and not evidence of guilt, and that each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.