Seventh Defendant Indicted on Federal Charge of Heroin Distribution Resulting in Death

Rock Island, Ill. – A Rock Island, Ill., man, Phil Trent, 50, of the 2900 block of 11 1/2 Ave., appeared in federal court this morning for arraignment on a charge of distribution of heroin resulting in death.  Trent becomes the seventh defendant charged in the past year with distribution of heroin that resulted in death in the Rock Island Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois.

The grand jury returned the indictment against Trent earlier this week; however, the indictment remained sealed pending Trent’s appearance in federal court before U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow, who scheduled Trent’s trial for July 27, 2015.  Trent was also ordered to remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The two-count indictment alleges that on Aug. 29, 2014, Trent distributed heroin in Rock Island County, and that the heroin resulted in a death.  Count two of the indictment alleges Trent also distributed heroin on Oct. 1, 2014.

In addition to Trent, since April 2014, six defendants have been charged with distribution of heroin resulting in death in the Rock Island Division:  

Kyle Joseph Wilson, 25, address unknown, indicted in April 2014 on a charge of distributing heroin that caused the death of another person. On Sept. 24, 2014, Wilson pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 23, 2015.

Steven Waldrip, 47, of Rock Island, Ill., indicted July 22, 2014, on four counts of distributing heroin, including one count of heroin distribution resulting in the death of another person.  On May 15, 2015, Waldrip pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing heroin; Waldrip is scheduled for trial in July 2015, on the remaining charge of heroin distribution resulting in death.

Courtney Davis, 37, of Aledo, Ill., and Bradley DeVriese, 23, address unknown, indicted Feb. 18, 2015, charged with distribution of heroin on July 2, 2014, that resulted in death.  A jury trial is scheduled for July 6, 2015, for DeVriese; Davis’s trial date is pending.

Kyle Hull, 22, of the 8500 block of Ridgewood Road, Rock Island, Ill., and Curtis Land, 52, of the 2900 block of 11 1/2 Ave., Rock Island, entered pleas of guilty on May 19, 2015, to distributing the fatal dose of heroin that resulted in a death last year. Land also pled guilty to distributing heroin on another occasion.  Sentencing has been scheduled for Sept. 17, 2015.

During court hearings and according to court documents, Land admitted that he gave heroin to Hull in exchange for $90 on Aug. 29, 2014, and again on Aug. 30, 2014.  Hull admitted that on Aug. 29, 2014, he purchased the heroin from Land, for his friend, and that he supplied a syringe to his friend to inject the heroin. Hull’s friend fell asleep after injecting the heroin in a park in Rock Island and Hull left. Hull checked on his friend later and found him unconscious, but did not call an ambulance.  When Hull returned to the park on the morning of Aug. 30, Hull discovered his friend had died.  Both Hull and Land admitted that the death was the direct result of the heroin distribution.

The charges against Trent, Hull and Land are the result of investigation by the Rock Island Police Department; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Don Allegro and Meredith DeCarlo are prosecuting the cases.

The charges against Davis and DeVriese were investigated by the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office and the Aledo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Don Allegro and Meredith DeCarlo are prosecuting the case.

Charges against Wilson and Waldrip were investigated by the Bettendorf, Iowa Police Department, the Quad Cities Metropolitan Enforcement Group, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Don Allegro and Micah Reyner.

The statutory penalty for distribution of heroin resulting in death is a mandatory minimum term of 20 years, and up to life, in prison, and a fine of up to $1,000,000.  The statutory maximum penalty for each count of heroin distribution is 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.