ORLEANS — In U.S. District Court in Burlington on Wednesday, Tony Rudolph Williams Jr. of Detroit, pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to sell heroin from an apartment in Orleans, Vermont.
Williams, 34, was arrested on Nov. 14 in Plattsburgh, New York, while getting off of a bus. Police arrested him based on information they received from confidential informants. When searched, he was in possession of more than a half ounce of heroin, a powdery substance, and muscle relaxants. He was ordered to remain in custody after being indicted on a drug conspiracy charge by a federal grand jury last week.
According to an affidavit filed with the court by a Vermont Drug Task Force agent, Williams “admitted that he was on his way to Vermont to make money selling drugs. He admitted this was his fourth trip to Vermont. He said he had transported 2-3 grams of heroin on a prior trip and sold it in Orleans County.”
According to the affidavit, a man identified by the nickname “Shorty,” has yet to be apprehended, but is said to have periodically sold heroin and other drugs from the apartment in Orleans since June.
According to court papers, Williams is said to have told police that he was a former member of the Bloods street gang. The court fillings also state that Williams has 12 prior convictions, three of which are felonies, and that he had two warrants for his arrest in Michigan at the time he was arrested in New York.
