Repeat Offenders Found Guilty of Manufacturing Crack Cocaine in North Charleston Apartment

 

On February 7, 2018, a Charleston County jury found co-defendants Darell Boston and William Holmes guilty of Manufacturing Crack Cocaine. The Honorable R. Markley Dennis, Jr. presided over trial and sentenced Boston to 17 years in prison. Holmes was additionally found guilty of Possession of Cocaine and was tried in his absence and remains at large. A bench warrant was issued at trial and his sentence is sealed until he is located and brought to court. Assistant Solicitor Nina Savas prosecuted the case along with Assistant Solicitor Truc Tran. Defendant Boston was represented by Public Defender Taylor Seman and Defendant Holmes was represented by Public Defender Ben Lewis.

 

The two defendants have extensive criminal histories:  

 

Boston's prior record included:

• Trafficking of Cocaine and Trafficking Crack in 2010
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine x 2 in 2009
• Possession of Cocaine in 2003

Holmes’ prior record included:

• Trafficking Crack, Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Distribution of Crack, and Distribution of Cocaine in Proximity to a School in 1999
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Proximity to a School in 2002
• Possession of Crack, Possession of Cocaine, and Possession of Marijuana in 2013
• Strong Armed Robbery in 2005 and 2006
• Failure to Stop for a Blue Light in 2009
• Firearms charges x 2 in 2012

 

The North Charleston Police Department made the joint arrest of the Defendants on March 6, 2015 at Clement Arms Apartments located at 1819 Clements Avenue in Apartment #2 in North Charleston. The tenant of the apartment was a vulnerable adult, but also a drug user at that time. The two defendants habitually used the tenant’s apartment to cook their crack.  North Charleston officers discovered the defendants in the apartment with 5 grams of bubbling crack and a metal whisk sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Officers located several items used in the manufacturing of crack including, baking soda, Pyrex measuring cups, whisks, and digital scales.  Holmes had an additional baggie of cocaine and a digital scale in his pocket. A second baggie of cocaine was found on Holmes during a strip search at the Al Cannon Detention Center.

 

Assistant Solicitor Savas stated, “Drug offenses are not victimless crimes. In this case the Defendants fed the addiction of a known crack addict who was a vulnerable adult.  It is imperative that courts take drugs crimes seriously as they often go hand-in-hand with violent crimes and drug dealers often prey on addicts.”

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