From The Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury indicted three individuals last month in Northwest Alabama on gun and drug charges. Federal indictments have been unsealed charging three defendants in separate and unrelated gun and drug cases, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Mickey French, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra.
A one-count indictment charges Mario Jerrell Prewitt, 34, of Fayette, with illegally possessing a Taurus 9mm pistol on Jan. 21, 2020, in Fayette County. ATF investigated the case, along with the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force (ADETF) Regions C and E, ALEA SWAT, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Berry Police Department, and the 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Darius C. Greene is prosecuting the case.
A two-count indictment charges Terry Wayne Thomason, 47, of Falkville, with possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possessed a firearm – a Braztech 20-gauge shotgun – in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, on Dec. 5, 2019, in Morgan County. DEA investigated the case, along with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell is prosecuting the case.
A six-count indictment charges Eric Cordelle Bass, 34, of Athens, with possessing with the intent to distribute a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of firearms – a Hi-Point .380 pistol, a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol and a Charter Arms .44 SPL revolver – in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in October 2021 and March 2022, in Limestone County. Bass was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. FBI investigated the case, along with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Hundscheid is prosecuting the case.
These indictments are the result of continued collaborative work between state prosecutors, and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.