900 Pound Emporia, VA Man Charged With Cocaine Conspiracy.
Cut out of trailer and sent to Federal Court… goes to MCV in route due to distress.
>sauce
https://www.richmond.com/news/local/crime/hearing-delayed-for–pound-drug-defendant-after-he-is/article_4f814c81-499b-5329-a10c-4ad1c8a4d4bc.html
A hearing for a cocaine conspiracy defendant who reportedly weighs 900 pounds was delayed Monday after he was diverted to VCU Medical Center en route to the federal courthouse in downtown Richmond.
After departing his Emporia home at 12:20 p.m., accompanied by law enforcement and medical personnel, 48-year-old Kenneth T. Hicks was taken to the hospital for unspecified issues.
Late Monday afternoon, U.S. Magistrate Judge David J. Novak continued the hearing until Tuesday next week, when Hicks is expected to plead guilty.
Hicks is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than a pound of cocaine from 2013 into 2017. It is also alleged that on April 4, while on release and awaiting trial, he tested positive for cocaine in a violation of the terms of his release.
Novak revoked Hicks’ bond Monday and directed that for Hicks’ own safety and dignity — he is unable to wear clothing — that he appear in the loading dock of the East Broad Street courthouse for proceedings next Tuesday. It is expected that he will arrive via ambulance.
In the meantime, authorities will hold him in a secure medical facility.
Hicks was to appear in court at 2:05 p.m. on Monday. By 4:15 p.m., Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Duffey told the judge that FBI agents with Hicks said the hospital could not give a firm time that he could be released to go to court Monday. Duffey said toxicology tests were being conducted.
At least three of the seven people charged in the conspiracy have pleaded guilty. Hicks, who had not been in custody, was allowed to make an initial court appearance via video link on March 21. He asked authorities for help to get him to the federal courthouse.
Last week, Novak approved an order for special transportation involving the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Richmond Ambulance Authority, the Henrico County Division of Fire and state and local emergency personnel, in an effort to protect Hicks’ health, safety and dignity.
Hicks lives in a dwelling attached to the rear of a mobile home in Emporia. Authorities would not comment on how Hicks was moved Monday, but Novak’s order called for him, if possible, to be placed on a gurney and taken out through a doorway and down a ramp.
If it proved necessary to protect his safety, authorities were permitted to open a large hole in the wall of the structure in order to facilitate the use of a device capable of lifting the defendant’s weight. They were also authorized to remove a ramp near his doorway, as well as trees on the property and even of parts of the ceiling.
Next Tuesday’s hearing in the loading dock, set for 1:30 p.m., will be open to the public, as it would in a courtroom. However, anyone wishing to attend must check in with the U.S. Marshals Service 15 minutes prior to the hearing, Novak said.