Washington man faces drug, gun charges
A Washington man faces drug and gun charges stemming from several instances last year when he allegedly dealt fentanyl or illegally possessed a handgun.
A grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday against Romone Barnes, 32, charging him with possessing and distributing fentanyl in June 2017 and methoxyacetyl fentanyl in September 2017, and also with having a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol at a point in July that year, despite five previous convictions on drug-delivery charges in Washington County.
The previous cases were cited in the indictment as the reason Barnes was prohibited from possessing a firearm. The indictment didn’t provide further details about Barnes’ alleged actions or the evidence supporting the federal government’s case.
Barnes pleaded not guilty following his indictment Aug. 24, 2017, on the charge he’d dealt fentanyl in June. Tuesday’s indictment, with the additional charges, supersedes the previous one in the case. Court records say he waived his right to a hearing to contest his detention after the previous indictment.