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Press Release

Indictment Charges Hamden Man with Drug and Gun Offenses

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a three-count indictment charging LATRELL ROUNTREE, 27, of Hamden, with drug and firearm offenses.

The indictment was returned on September 14, 2022, and Rountree was arrested yesterday.  He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, and was ordered detained.

As alleged in the indictment and statements made in court, on May 24, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rountree’s residence and seized quantities of crack cocaine and fentanyl, three semi-automatic pistols, and ammunition.  As police arrived, Rountree attempted to flee by jumping over the railing of the apartment’s balcony.  He was arrested and charged with related state offenses.

It is further alleged that Rountree’s criminal history includes felony convictions for firearm offenses.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

The indictment charges Rountree with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base (“crack”), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least five years; and unlawful possession of firearms by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Haven and Hamden Police Departments.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Gresham through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: Fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Updated September 16, 2022

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Opioids
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses