Dealer acquitted on three of four charges in drug trial
He faces sentencing on meth distribution charge
TEXARKANA, Texas — A jury seated to decide the fate of a man accused of trafficking drugs in Texarkana returned a mixed verdict Thursday.
Justin Rashad Young, 31, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, five grams or more but less than 50. Young was accused of conspiracy involving 50 grams or more but the jury opted for the lesser amount.
The jury acquitted Young on three counts listed in the indictment. He was found not guilty of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting and acquitted of two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Young and his codefendant, Joshea Cardwell, were arrested
in a Texarkana hotel in June 2017 in possession of meth and a firearm. Cardwell pleaded guilty June 4 to conspiracy and a single count of carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and is awaiting sentencing. A factual basis document filed at the time of Cardwell’s plea implicates Young.
“My codefendant and I are personally responsible for more than 403 grams (approximately one pound) of ICE methamphetamine. For example, on June 28, 2017, my codefendant and I knowingly and jointly possessed what was later confirmed to be approximately 403 grams of methamphetamine with a purity of greater than eighty percent and approximately 1.6 kilograms of marijuana. We possessed those drugs in a room we agreed to rent at the Magnuson Hotel in Texarkana, Texas.
We intended to distribute those drugs to others from that hotel room,” the factual basis states.
Cardwell and Young will return to court for sentencing in several months. Those hearings will be scheduled after the court has received pre-sentence reports that will include recommendations for punishment under federal sentencing guidelines.
Young is represented by Texarkana lawyer Jeff Harrelson. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Hornok and Lucas Machicek are representing the government. U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III presided over the trial.
Special precautions were undertaken to allow jurors and court staff to socially distance during the trial. Face coverings were mandatory for everyone in the courtroom because of the COVID-19 pandemic.