United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A dozen Springfield, Missouri area residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Greene County.

James D. Collins, also known as “Red,” 46, of Battlefield, Missouri; Darryl Turner, also known as “D,” 56, Bobby G. Rost also known as “Pop,” 62, Elmer E. Freeman Jr., also known as “Duck,” 53, Rufus H. Jones, also known as “Shorty,” 69, Jerry D. Pierson, also known as “Pops,” 73, Tia M. Melton, 48, Christopher D. Hoskin, 27, Robert D. Huddleston, 46, Heather R. Kinnison, 28, Salvador Sepulveda, 46, and Trenton J. Davis, 19, all of Springfield, Missouri, were charged in a 19-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Wednesday, June 10. That indictment was unsealed and made public following the arrests and initial court appearances of several defendants.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Springfield, Missouri Police Department, the Greene County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department, and the Phelps County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department.

The federal indictment alleges that 10 defendants (with the exceptions of Melton and Davis) participated in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Greene County from January 31, 2019, to May 18, 2020.

In addition to the drug-trafficking conspiracy, the indictment alleges that Collins and Melton engaged in a money-laundering conspiracy that involved financial transactions of the proceeds of the fentanyl distribution. Collins and Melton are also charged together in one count of being felons in possession of a firearm. They allegedly were in possession of a Smith & Wesson .45-caliber pistol on April 20, 2020.

“DEA will target and arrest drug trafficking groups that sell illicit drugs and then launder the proceeds,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. Callahan, head of the DEA St. Louis Division. “Fentanyl is one of the deadliest drugs out there, so keeping it out of communities is critical to preventing overdoses from it.”

Collins is also charged with one count of money laundering, one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Collins allegedly was in possession of a Smith & Wesson .45-caliber pistol on April 20, 2020.

Freeman is charged with two counts related to the distribution of fentanyl, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Freeman allegedly was in possession of a Davis Industries .380-caliber handgun on April 20, 2020.

Pierson is also charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Pierson allegedly was in possession of a Berasaluze 7.65-caliber pistol on February 7, 2020.

Hoskin, Jones, Sepulveda, Turner, and Kinnison are each charged with possessing or distributing fentanyl. Davis is charged with one count of managing a premises that he made available for illegal drug trafficking.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government any property obtained through the alleged drug-trafficking conspiracy, including $16,880 seized from Rost by law enforcement officers on February 6, 2020.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Keller and Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine L. Stockard.

This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.