ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 20, 1995 TAG: 9512200080
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on December 21, 1995.
A story in Wednesday's paper said incorrectly that Wayne A. Hicks,
23, was charged with carrying 38 grams of crack. Investigators said
Hicks led them to the crack, which was buried in his basement.
A Roanoke school bus driver has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of dealing crack cocaine.
Authorities said there was no indication that the driver was dealing on the job.
Wayne A. Hicks, 23, was charged with carrying 38 grams of crack, with a street value of $3,800, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The investigation was started by Virginia State Police, but federal agents adopted the case because of the quantity of the drug involved and because of Hicks' job as a school bus driver. If convicted, he faces a mandatory 10-year sentence, Hicks' attorney, Tony Anderson, said.
"Thirty-eight grams of crack is a lot of crack," said Al Henley, resident agent in charge of the DEA's Roanoke office. He said that amount of crack is much more than street-level dealers normally hold.
David Hammond, a special agent with the state police, said Hicks came to police attention as a result of an investigation in Montgomery County. Police followed people suspected of crack dealing from there to Hicks' home on Moorman Road Northwest one night in September and pulled them over after they left. Hammond said police got enough information to get a search warrant for Hicks' home, where he lived with his mother and stepfather.
Hicks was cooperative and led police to a pound of marijuana, an assault rifle and a revolver in his bedroom, and to 38 grams of crack buried in the basement, Hammond said.
Hicks was not indicted on a drug-related firearms charge, which carries an additional, mandatory five-year sentence. A Dec. 6 Supreme Court ruling said guns have to be used or carried during a drug transaction for a defendant to be charged. Until the ruling came down, anyone who had a gun "accessible" or near drugs could have been charged with the offense.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Burnham said Hicks' bond, set Monday at $25,000, had to be co-signed by his mother and stepfather. He also was given a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Anderson, Hicks' lawyer, said he expects his client to plead not guilty at his arraignment today.
Richard Kelley, executive for business affairs for Roanoke schools, said employees charged with serious offenses usually are suspended without pay. Kelley would not comment on the Hicks case but did say school officials heard of it only after a reporter contacted him Tuesday afternoon.
He said Chauncey Logan, the schools' director of transportation, will look into the matter today.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 linesby CNB