THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 30, 1995 TAG: 9512300362
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LYNN WALTZ, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
A man wanted by U.S. marshals since being indicted on drug charges in October was picked up by Portsmouth police Thursday night as he walked his dog while wearing a ski mask, the FBI reported Friday.
Jomokenyatta Bell, 24, of the 2700 block of High St., was indicted on three counts of distributing crack cocaine. The charges stemmed from an investigation by a joint federal task force targeting violent drug gangs in Portsmouth.
The indictment does not indicate whether Bell was involved in a drug gang. He was arrested about 9 p.m. near Ann and Hatten streets. The dog, whose breed was not reported, was turned over to animal control.
Bell, whose first name is spelled Jomokenyetta in Portsmouth court records, is the ninth man to be arrested as a result of the task force investigation and the last who was wanted on outstanding warrants.
Andre Lamont ``Dre'' Branche turned himself in Tuesday night. During a hearing Friday, he was ordered held without bond. Branche is one of seven men charged with operating a crack cocaine ring at River Edge Apartments.
Bell's arrest ends the first round of indictments stemming from the joint task force of FBI agents and Portsmouth police. The task force was formed to address growing violence in Portsmouth, which has had a record 37 homicides this year.
Bell's detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. He will go into federal court with a clean record from Portsmouth, despite a history of 22 charges of drug possession, drug sales, shootings and malicious woundings.
Bell's last visit to court was on Dec. 6, when charges of possession of marijuana were nolle prossed - or indefinitely postponed. The month before, on Nov. 9, charges of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm with drugs were also nolle prossed.
The month before that - on Oct. 26 - 19 other charges were either dismissed or nolle prossed, including: possession of marijuana, six counts of malicious wounding, eight counts of use of a firearm, two counts of attempt to kill and two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling.
Those charges stemmed from incidents on Dec. 14 and Dec. 16. The Dec. 14 incident occurred in the 900 block of Tazewell St. shortly after noon. Three people were shot at by at least three men who opened fire after getting out of a car, police records show. One victim told police he heard he was shot in retaliation because the assailants mistakenly believed he had shot someone else.
In the Dec. 16 incident, six people were shot and wounded. Details about the case were not available.
Bell's defense attorney, Anthony Nicolo, said that in one case the judge dismissed the charges after a witness failed to offer any evidence against Bell while implicating other defendants. In the other, prosecutors nolle prossed charges for ``strategic'' reasons, said Nicolo, who represented Bell at the October hearing.
KEYWORDS: DRUGS ILLEGAL ARREST by CNB