A Bronx, NY man, who is facing charges that he was part of a conspiracy for about two and a half years to bring drugs into Vermont and sell them in Rutland, Castleton and Bennington, was arrested Wednesday at the Bennington County courthouse on a federal warrant.
Karim R. Chapman, 34, was arrested based on an allegation that he had violated the terms of his federal supervision because of the more recent charges filed against him.
In Bennington County, Chapman is facing a felony charge of conspiracy to sell drugs and a misdemeanor charge of possession of a depressant drug. He was in court on Wednesday for a routine hearing during which prosecutors and defense attorneys typically discuss deadlines for gathering and sharing information in the case. However, Chapman was arrested before the hearing could proceed.
Chapman’s Vermont attorney said in court last month that his client had been arrested on a federal charge of selling cocaine in 2004. Chapman entered a guilty plea to the charge in 2006 and was released in June 2009.
The Bennington charges were filed on February 26 after police received information from a confidential informant who said Chapman and another man, Fred T. “Frizzy” Lyons, 20, of New York City, would deliver prescription drugs that the informant would sell.
According to the informant, Chapman claimed he sold prescription drugs and heroin in Rutland and Castleton.
Chapman was arrested in a Rutland motel on February 26. Later that week, Lyons was also arraigned on a felony charge of conspiracy to sell drugs which is, like the charges against Chapman, still pending.
Bennington County Deputy State’s Attorney Robert Plunkett said it was not clear whether Chapman would be prosecuted first in Bennington County or federal court.
The investigation remains ongoing.
All charges are merely accusations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to call the NYPD‘s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1–800–577–TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1–888–57–PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers‘ website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
All tips will be kept strictly confidential.
