David Clay Fowlkes, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that on November 12, 2020, James Earl Bradford, 61, of Texarkana, Arkansas, was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for Possession of Cocaine Base with Intent to Distribute.

 

The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing, in the United States District Court's Texarkana Division.

 

According to court records, Agents with the 8th North Drug Task Force ("DTF") began investigating Bradford after receiving information that he was distributing narcotics in Hope, Arkansas. On April 11, 2019, Agents located and made contact with Bradford in Hope. Knowing that Bradford was on state parole, and had an active search wavier on file, the agents searched Bradford's person and vehicle. Inside Bradford's vehicle, Agents found multiple bags of suspected cocaine base, or "crack," several baggies of marijuana, items drug paraphernalia and several thousand dollars in cash. Bradford later admitted, following Miranda warnings, that he had been selling crack in Hope for some time.

 

The bags of suspected cocaine base were taken to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for analysis. The crime laboratory later determined that they contained over 29 grams of a mixture or substance containing cocaine base.

 

Bradford was indicted by a federal grand jury in May of 2019, and entered a guilty plea in November of 2019.

 

This case was investigated by the 8th North Drug Task Force, Hempstead County Sheriff's Department and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the Western District of Arkansas.