NEWS RELEASE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
WESTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA

John L. Brownlee
United States Attorney
Heidi Coy
Public Affairs Specialist BB&T Building
310 1st Street, S.W., Room 906
Roanoke, Virginia 24011
(540) 857-2250
FAX (540) 857-2180

January 17, 2007

THREE TAZEWELL COUNTY DEFENDANTS PLEAD GUILTY TO STEALING A HALF TON OF EXPLOSIVES FROM NEW PRISON WORK SITE IN TAZEWELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA

United States Attorney John L. Brownlee announced today that Derick R. Williams, age 25, Lacy S. Milam, age 21, and Angela R. Dameron, age 29, all of Bluefield, Virginia, pleaded guilty to charges related to the theft of explosives from a prison construction site in Tazewell County.

The pleas were entered in United States District Court in Abingdon before Judge James P. Jones.

Williams and Milam pleaded guilty to the theft of approximately 1000 lbs. of explosives from a new prison work site located in Tazewell County; theft of explosives from a federal explosives permittee; and possession of explosives by an person using and addicted to illegal drugs.

Dameron pleaded guilty to making a false statement to law enforcement officials.

The maximum penalty faced by Williams and Milam is 30 years in prison and/or a fine of $750,000.00 thousand dollars. Dameron faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000.00.

All three defendants will be sentenced April 12, 2007.

According to evidence presented by Special Assistant United States Attorney Dennis Lee, late on the night of September 7, 2006, Williams and Milam used equipment from the worksite of Bizzack, Inc., a company contracted to construct a road giving access to the new Pocahontas prison site, to break into a trailer containing explosives, including ANFO. ANFO is similar to the explosive mixture used in the Oklahoma City bombing.

The pair was first identified when a tip came into law enforcement indicating that Dameron was trying to sell the explosives. A search warrant was executed on September 23, 2006, on the property on which Williams and Dameron resided and approximately 500 lbs. of explosives were recovered buried in a barn. The remaining 500 lbs. was located several days later having been scattered in a remote area. A Haz-Mat team was called to remove the explosive materials.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office, the Bluefield Virginia Police Department, the Virginia State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Special Assistant United States Attorney Dennis Lee is prosecuting the case.