A North Carolina man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after being convicted of multiple drug trafficking and firearms charges.
Reshod Jamar Everett, 36, had been accused of running a drug trafficking operation out of an in-home day care as well as other locations in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
“For years, Reshod Everett used the compassion of our community to deflect from his criminal activity …,” Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins said, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. “We are pleased with our continued federal partnership and another drug peddler is out of our community.”
The case against Everett began taking shape in 2018, according to the news release. Police initially stopped a car driven by co-defendant Alvin Milton Davis and found drugs and a gun with an extended magazine.
A search of an apartment leased by Everett and occupied by Davis found more than 36 pounds of marijuana, more than 300 grams of cocaine, and a loaded CZ Scorpion gun. The next day, police searched a house that operated as a day care.
During that search, more than $65,000, eight firearms, ammunition, and THC edibles were confiscated. Drug packaging materials were found in an adjacent shed.
Inside the house that doubled as a day care, several high-powered rifles were found.
“One loaded rifle had the selector switch set to ‘fire,’ and, as such, only a small amount of pressure on the trigger would have caused the gun to fire,” the Justice Department release noted.
Everett did not go gently, according to the release, but “attempted to engage in a variety of tactics to obstruct prosecutors and investigators.”
“These tactics included giving false testimony under oath, attempting to bribe or threaten others to give false testimony, utilizing gang members to intimidate witnesses, and engaging in an extensive social media campaign to falsely accuse the Fayetteville Police Department and Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office of wrongdoing,” the release said.
Reshod Jamar Everett Sentenced for Running Drug Operation https://t.co/VOhMV0Y8DE
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Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, said the conviction and sentence vindicated the law enforcement partners Everett tried to vilify.
“The fact that he stored drugs, cash, and loaded, high-powered AR rifles at an in-home day care further underscores the danger that Everett presented to the community at large.”
“The threat this individual posed to the community cannot be overstated,” Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims said in the news release.
“Large quantities of drugs and multiple firearms – many of which were loaded and ready to fire – were recovered within a business that served parents and children. This was a tragedy waiting to happen, and because of the work from the Fayetteville Police Department, ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s office, we’ve prevented that tragedy and ended this individual’s criminal career,” he said.
During a 2019 interview, Everett said the drugs were planted, according to WKRC-TV.
“What else to make a great story but to put things in places, especially behind a day care?” Everett said. “That makes it a great story.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.