-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that United States District Judge James C. Dever, III sentenced DOMINQUE RUSSELL, 30, of Durham to 24 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.
On December 28, 2018, RUSSELL pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of heroin.
On January 21, 2018, and January 28, 2018, officers with the Henderson Police Department (HPD) utilized a confidential source to conduct controlled buys of heroin from the occupants at 521 Spring Court in Henderson, North Carolina.
On January 31, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the home. In the room belonging to Jermill Blacknall (in federal custody awaiting Arraignment date) and RUSSELL, officers recovered a loaded rifle with two “banana clips” containing 27 and 28 rounds of ammunition, a 9mm 50-round magazine “drum” with 28 rounds, an empty Glock magazine in a Glock box (no gun), and identification belonging to Blacknall. A search of the remainder of the home revealed scales, a blender with white powder residue, 18.99 grams of heroin (in a car seat), and packaging material. Blacknall and RUSSELL’S two young children were also in the house.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Henderson Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Dodson handled the prosecution of this case for the government.
News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at https://justice.gov/usao-ednc. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_ENDC.
