A man is jailed in the Nash County Detention Center under an increased $275,000 secured bond on two counts of trafficking in heroin after Rocky Mount police late last week found he had 20 pounds of the opioid, which had an estimated street value of about $400,000.
Keith Haskins, 57, was taken into custody just after 8 p.m. Friday at the train station downtown after a months-long probe by the police department’s narcotics unit and after police said they learned the suspect would be entering the city via Amtrak.
Rocky Mount police Chief Robert Hassell, at a news conference Monday afternoon at City Hall flanked by other top police officials and District Attorney Jeff Marsigli, used the podium to emphasize the police department’s no-tolerance stance on any form of crime in Rocky Mount, including selling and distributing illegal drugs.
“We’re going to do everything within our power to make sure we identify and investigate any cases of violent crime and drugs within the city of Rocky Mount,” Hassell said.
Hassell also made clear this is going to be done by working with the police department’s federal partners and other state and local law enforcement agencies.
“The message will be: If you’re looking or you’re thinking about committing these types of crimes within the city of Rocky Mount, our agency, with our other partners, will identify who you are and we will go after you and hopefully have a successful prosecution,” Hassell said.
The police department’s violent crime and gang apprehension team, along with the department’s K-9 unit, helped apprehend Haskins.
Hassell said that he believes both the narcotics unit and the violent crime and gang apprehension team have been doing exceptional work in Rocky Mount.
“Many times, their work goes unnoticed, but we do notice it in the form of our numbers,” Hassell said, referring to arrests and confiscations of illegal drugs. “And we are seeing better numbers here in our city.”
During the news conference, Hassell was asked how it feels to have gotten Haskins off the streets.
Hassell said that the police department’s focus is making sure Rocky Mount is one of the safer places in North Carolina.
“It has always been our focus to be tough on these type crimes — drugs and guns,” Hassell said. “So, of course anytime we can make an arrest that goes into that direction in cleaning our streets up, then of course it does make us all feel much safer.”
During the news conference, a question asked was about whether the police department battles heroin a lot in the area.
Maj. Westlyn Seabreeze said, “I will say that heroin, along with several other controlled substances, is a problem throughout this community as well as our surrounding community and across this nation.”
Seabreeze said the department works consistently to address the heroin problem on a daily basis.
News of the arrest of Haskins also received attention because the police department’s information, released online Sunday afternoon, noted that a secured bond for Haskins was set at $5,000.
According to N.C. District Court records in Nash County, Magistrate James Hill issued the arrest warrant and Magistrate Jeffrey Edgerton signed off on setting the bond.
During the news conference Monday, Hassell said that the police department makes solid arrests after doing exceptional work in its investigative measures.
While Hassell emphasized the department does not set a bond in a criminal case, in this instance, “We were surprised at the bond in which it was set.”
Marsigli said that he found out Sunday about the bond for Haskins having been set at $5,000 from a friend via a text message with an article attached.
“It seemed low to me also,” Marsigli said of the bond.
He said that he and Hassell communicated via text Sunday and spoke in person Monday morning to get the details.
He said that his office’s plans were to make a motion to modify the bond, but that N.C. District Court Judge Anthony Brown went ahead and did so at Haskins’ first appearance in court.
Marsigli said that he is happy the bond was adjusted to the $275,000 amount.
“I believe we have the best system in the world,” Marsigli said, but he added that “We are humans” and “We make mistakes.”
He also emphasized that the nation’s governmental system is based on having checks and balances.
“In this case, in my opinion, the system worked,” he said. “Something happened on one end — but then it was checked at the next level, and it was changed immediately.”
According to court records, attorney Richard Batts was appointed to represent Haskins and Brown ordered Haskins to return to court on May 2 for a probable cause hearing.
The purpose of a probable cause hearing is to determine whether there is reasonable information a charged criminal offense was committed and whether there is reasonable information to believe the accused committed that criminal offense.
The court records indicates Haskins had listed an address in the 600 block of Park Avenue in the city.
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