By Alyssa Schnugg
Staff writer
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com
The former sheriff of Tallahatchie County was allegedly working with a local drug dealer for more than 15 years, offering the drug dealer protection in exchange for a cut in the drug sale proceeds, according to court records.
William Brewer, 58, a resident of Oakland, was charged Friday with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance from June 2003 through June 12, 2018, and extortion and bribery in violation of the Hobbs Act, also from June 12, 2018, through July 26, 2018.
Brewer served as the sheriff of Tallahatchie County for more than 20 years. He announced his resignation, through his attorney, Tuesday afternoon at his detention hearing at the Federal Courthouse in Oxford.
According to the affidavit released Tuesday afternoon, an FBI confidential human source, or CHS, told investigators that they started working with Brewer about 15 years ago, when they were about 17 or 18 years old. They would rob drug dealers of money and drugs, provide the stolen money to Brewer, sell the stolen illegal drugs and then provide proceeds from the sale of the drugs to Brewer.
In return, Brewer allegedly protected the CHS from law enforcement in Tallahatchie County.
The CHS reported they robbed drug dealers at least 50 times in the last 15 years. The illegal drugs stolen and sold by the CHS included methamphetamine, crack cocaine and powder cocaine, according to the probable cause affidavit.
FBI agents approached the CHS on June 12, 2018, and the CHS agreed to work for the FBI.
The informant also reported that about three years ago, Brewer allegedly found out they were dealing methamphetamine that the CHS purchased from illegal drug suppliers, rather than stealing from the drug dealers as the CHS had conspired with Brewer to do for the previous 12 years. The informant claims they would pay Brewer CHS $500 to $600 every other week from the proceeds of the illegal drug dealing.
After agreeing to work with the FBI, the CHS started to work with Brewer planning to rob a drug dealer in Tallahatchie County for about nine to 10 bricks of methamphetamine, which was a ruse set up by the FBI. After the fake robbery, Brewer accepted three payments from the informant on June 21, July 5 and July 26 that totaled $10,000. The money was marked and recorded by the FBI.
On June 21, the CHS went to Brewer’s home to make a payment of $6,500 from the fake drug robbery. During a recorded conversation, the CHS told Brewer they robbed the drug dealers and made it known that the CHS had recovered 10 kilograms of methamphetamine and money and then handed Brewer the $6,500. Brewer allegedly took the money but then handed it back to the CHS and told him to “put it under a bucket in the barn.”
Shortly after the CHS left Brewer’s home, there was a recorded phone call between the CHS and Brewer where Brewer asked the CHS where he “put that shit,” referring to the money in the barn.
The CHS returned to Brewer’s home again on July 5 and 26 to hand over cash with the marked bills.
Brewer was given a $25,000 bond Tuesday and will be placed on pretrial supervised probation and home detention where his location will be monitored by GPS and an electronic monitor until his trial date.
