By Chris Berendt

Staff Writer

Four local men are facing federal sentences after three pleaded guilty to firearms and drugs charges and another was found guilty at trial, stemming from a months-long, multi-agency investigation into drug activity on Jacobs Street culminated in an early 2008 raid.

The men are expected to be sentenced next month, according to local authorities.

The federal indictments, and pending sentences, are the result of an investigation by the Clinton Police Department, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Undercover officers were utilized to make undercover purchases of drugs and weapons leading up to the raid after the department “received numerous citizen complaints,” said Clinton police Det. Darryl Grady, who was the primary investigator along with SBI agent Kellie Eason.

The day of the raid, the last undercover buy was made and SWAT teams swarmed a set of homes on Jacob Street.

Rayford Montrell Faison, 33, of 634 Clive Jacobs Road, Clinton; Raphel Smith III, 29, of 803 Lisbon St., Clinton; Montrose Louis Bennett, 48, of Clinton; and Justin Primero Crenshaw, 29, of 508 Yancey St., Warsaw, were arrested at that time. They were federally indicted on the narcotics charges last year and released to U.S. Marshals.

Faison, Bennett and Crenshaw subsequently pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that include possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, selling and delivering cocaine and possession of firearm by a felon. All have criminal histories.

Smith was the only one who went to trial, in federal district court in Greenville, where he was found guilty. He will also serve time in federal prison, although his punishment is not expected to be as harsh as the others. In all, there were 28 federal indictments handed down against the men, according to Grady.

Two others arrested in the case, Michael Best, 28, and Arthur Lee Ruffin, have also been sentenced. Ruffin received two years probation for a possession with intent to sell a Schedule II controlled substance conviction in July 2009. Best was convicted in a separate case in June 2008 of indecent liberties with a child and sentenced to a minimum of two years, two months in the N.C. Department of Corrections.

Clinton police Chief Mike Brim said some other residents not charged following the raid were evicted and removed from the area.

“We’ve had almost no call volume in that area,” the police chief remarked. “We’ve taken those people out of there.”

Grady attributed a great working relationship with the SBI and ATF as the reason for the successful investigation and prosecution of the case.

“There was great cooperation from both agencies,” said Grady. “Working together helped it come together well, and we appreciate our citizens calling and reporting the activity. We got numerous complaints. We’re just glad they called us.”

Brim said calls from citizens can be the catalyst for such investigations.

“We need to get all the information from the community we can gather,” said Brim. “We are just trying to prosecute these guys as soon as possible. We appreciate the citizens’ input and helping to get these guys behind bars where they belong. We need to get them off the streets before they hurt somebody.”

Brim credited his officers and detectives and attributed the Jacobs Street bust, and others like it, to their diligence and great partnership with state and federal agencies. Those collaborative efforts were vital for small town police departments to achieve significant results — and prison terms for offenders.

“It’s easy for guys like these to come to small towns and hide,” said Brim. “The resources are depleted as far as the ability to work on big cases. We have 8,800 residents, 39 sworn police officers, 21,000 calls for service. There’s actually 25 guys on the road answering that 21,000 calls for service.”

Brim expressed pride when talking about the everyday work of officers, and the effect it has throughout the community, whether it is to remove a criminal element from Jacobs Street or pay out of pocket to provide a meal to someone who might need it.

“They make the department look good, they make me look good,” said Brim. “They are dedicated to these citizens. I hope they appreciate that, because I certainly do. I stand in awe of these guys every day.”

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@myclintonnc.com.