News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2010
Contact: Robert J. Hanson
Number: (314)538-4670

Centralia Woman Charged With Distribution Of Crack Cocaine

MAR 22 -- (East St. Louis, IL) - A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that on March 18, 2010, ROSEMARY L. BARNES, age 50, of Centralia, Illinois, was charged in a two count Indictment returned by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in East. St. Louis. BARNES was charged with two counts of distribution of crack cocaine.

Each count carries a possible penalty of up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $1 million and a term of supervised release of at least 3 years.

The investigation was conducted by the Centralia Police Department, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, the Joint Narcotics Unit of the Mt. Vernon Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Illinois State Police, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Marion County State’s Attorney’s Office, the United States Secret Service, the United States Marshal Service, and other law enforcement agencies pursuant to their participation in the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a joint and cooperative effort of the United States Attorney’s Office, and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies directed at removing guns and drugs from our communities.

The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney George Norwood for prosecution.