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Bryant LeRay Henderson, 42, of Smithville, was arrested at his dwelling Thursday, Aug. 11.
SMITHVILLE, Texas — A Texas man has been federally charged for allegedly flying a drone loaded with medication and different contraband right into a Fort Worth jail, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham introduced Friday.
Bryant LeRay Henderson, 42, of Smithville, was arrested at his dwelling Thursday and charged with one rely of making an attempt to supply contraband in jail, one rely of serving as an airman with out an airman’s certificates, and one county of possession with intent to distribute a managed substance, officers say.
According to court docket paperwork, Henderson is accused of flying a DJI Inspire drone into the airspace over Federal Medical Center (FMC) Fort Worth, a federal correctional facility in the south a part of town, simply earlier than midnight on Wednesday, May 4. The drone reportedly crashed inside a safe fenced-in yard close to the jail’s HVAC store, the place jail employees recovered it.
Court paperwork say, the drone was loaded with 46 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 87 grams of pressed THC, two pay as you go smartphones and 9 mp3 gamers.
After the drone was discovered, regulation enforcement pulled surveillance video from a close-by highschool, which confirmed a man drive right into a parking zone in a purple Chevy Tahoe with a Transformers decal on the rear window. In the video, the man eliminated a drone and a package deal from the automobile, then launched the drone towards the jail earlier than driving away from the scene.
Officials mentioned two weeks later, the SUV was discovered deserted in a journey lane with its flashers on and its hood up. It was impounded and later searched.
Inside the automobile, regulation enforcement discovered Henderson’s debit card, a DJI drone controller, numerous drone equipment, 18 smartphones, tobacco merchandise, and vacuum-packed containers with steroid labels related to a fishing line and a key ring.
When regulation enforcement powered on the controller and the drone recovered from the jail yard, each gadgets instantly paired, officers mentioned.
Investigators additionally recovered the flight log, which included 4 flights that intruded FMC Fort Worth’s airspace, and two flights over FCI Seagoville.
Officials mentioned Henderson’s cellphone data additionally pinpointed his location close to FMC Fort Worth across the similar time because the crash on May 4, and the opposite flights.
If convicted, Henderson faces as much as 45 years in jail.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons and state corrections officers say that drone deliveries are more and more turning into an issue. Just final month, a 44-year-old Houston man was charged in the Eastern District of Texas for allegedly working a drone over FCI Beaumont.
“Contraband drone deliveries are quickly becoming the bane of prison officials’ existence. Illicit goods pose a threat to guards and inmates alike – and when it comes to cell phones, the threat often extends outside prison walls. We are determined to stop this trend in its tracks,” mentioned Meacham.
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story by The Texas Tribune Source link
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