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Nine Grand Tower residents indicted on conspiracy to manufacture meth

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern Illinois district announced Tuesday that nine Grand Tower residents were indicted by a federal grand jury in Benton on charges of conspiracy to manufacture 50 or more grams of methamphetamine.

James D. Clover, 38, Joshua T. Smith, 25, William E. Golliher, Jr., 33, Michael L. Reed, 49, Michael R. Crane, 34, Cindy J. Sims, 44, Charles E. Morse, 19, Kenneth W. "Spaz" Derossett, 28, and Aimee Danielle "Danny" Byram, 19, were each arrested July 7 in connection with conspiracy charges.

Each of the nine charged could face a penalty of a five-to-40 year prison sentence, a maximum fine of $2 million and a four-year supervised release period.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Robertson, the violations stemming from the indictment charges took place between February 2002 and June 30, 2004, in the area of Grand Tower, which is located southwest of Carbondale in Jackson County.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant where a federal jury must find probable cause to indict based on evidence presented by the prosecutor. According to the law, each of the defendants is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty by a jury.

According to Robertson, all nine of the individuals were arrested, but not all of the individuals remain incarcerated.

She said a judge decided some of the defendants should be detained based on their danger or risk to society, whereas others were released.

Robertson, who is prosecuting the case, said the trial date is set for Aug. 16, unless defendants choose to plead guilty prior to the scheduled date.

"[The nine defendants'] option is to plead guilty or proceed with a trial," Robertson said.

The investigation was conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the Grand Tower Police Department, the Southern Illinois Enforcement Group and the Drug Enforcement Administration in participation with Jackson County's Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative.

The Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative includes federal, state and local law enforcement with the goal of prosecuting drug dealers, felons in possession of firearms and criminals who use firearms to commit violent offenses or drug trafficking offenses.