The hearing for Erwin Rodell Hughes, 40, who also, according to federal court records, goes by the name Ervin, will be held at 10 a.m. before Magistrate Judge James E. Gates.
Hughes has been wanted since his federal indictment in December on three counts associated with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, the sale of crack cocaine and using a weapon in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, court records show.
He was ordered today to remain in the custody of United States Marshals until the detention hearing.
Deputy Chief James Avens of the Weldon Police Department said in a statement Hughes surrendered to federal agents at the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office around 6 p.m.
Agents of the City County Drug Task Force and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been looking for Hughes since his December 13 federal indictment.
In the statement Avens credited task force Agent C.A. Parker who noticed Hughes while off-duty in Greenville.
Parker obtained the license plate number of the vehicle and task force and ATF agents, along with the Greenville Police Department, conducted surveillance of a residence, which prompted Hughes to surrender.
“Agent Parker did an awesome job with the case,” Avens said this afternoon. “I commend all of the agents of the City County Drug Task Force for their hard work and efforts to fight the war on drugs here in Halifax County.”
Avens said, “As you can see, the bad guys have no jurisdiction boundaries. It was a joint effort with all of the agencies involved to catch Erwin Hughes.”
Avens said in the statement the federal indictment came after an investigation by Parker on June 10 where at a residence on Maple Street agents seized around 15.8 grams of crack, marijuana, a .380 handgun, money and several items of paraphernalia.
The federal indictment notes in count I Hughes, who has a previous criminal record, used a firearm and ammunition in a crime in violation of United States code while count II alleges he possessed crack with intent to sell and count III alleges he used a gun in furtherance of the drug sales.
Hughes is also subject to forfeiting to the government the Colt .380 pistol.
He has been appointed a federal public defender.