Ashanti Rhan Henry
Ashanti Rhan Henry
Of the 11 individuals sentenced in this Bristol-area crack cocaine conspiracy, the breakdown by gender and age reveals a group of prime working-age adults caught in a cycle of crime and punishment, sentenced in 2013:
Gender: There were 6 males and 5 females.
- Males: Ashanti Rhan Henry, Marcus Stines, Orrett Ordine Anderson, Kedrick Jamel Harris, Jason Troy Pritchard, James Carl Almaroad.
- Females: Summer Shoulders, Karen Jade Nicole Miller, Bredgette Dewan Shaw, Jamie Lynn Stover, Brittany Nicole Finch.
Age Range: The ages ranged from 21 to 37 years old.
- Youngest: 21 (Summer Shoulders and Marcus Stines).
- Oldest: 37 (Orrett Ordine Anderson).
Average Age: The average age was approximately 29 years old, calculated from the sum of their ages (320) divided by 11.
Sentencing Patterns: Sentences ranged from 3 to 30 years, reflecting stark disparities. Henry’s 30-year term—triple the next longest (10 years for Stines, Anderson, Harris)—likely stems from his role as the supplier and a prior trafficking conviction. The other 10 averaged 5.6 years (total 56 years ÷ 10), with shorter terms like Stover’s 3 years or Shaw’s 3.5 years suggesting plea deals or minor roles. Federal guidelines for 280+ grams of crack cocaine (21 U.S.C. § 841) set a 10-year minimum, but enhancements for priors (Henry) or reductions for cooperation explain the spread. All 11, regardless of sentence length, face lifelong felony stigma.
Employability and Recidivism: All 11 were prime working age (21–37) in 2013, yet their felony convictions—often multiple, as with Henry and Harris (arrested 2011)—make them nearly unemployable post-release. Tennessee and Virginia laws (e.g., TN Code § 62-6-103, VA DPOR rules) bar felons from most occupational licenses—trades, healthcare, even barbering—while Bristol’s job market (6.2% unemployment, BLS 2013) offers little beyond low-wage gigs rejecting ex-cons. Tennessee data shows 52% of drug felons reoffend within 3 years (TDOC, 2010-15), and nationally, it’s 67% (BJS, 2018). Harris and Shaw, nabbed here after a 2011 bust, prove the point—prison didn’t deter them. Most of these 11 will likely return to trafficking, locked out of lawful work in a region where drugs outpace jobs.
Ashanti Rhan Henry Sentenced to 30 Years Imprisonment
Abingdon, VA - United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy announced that 11 members of a crack cocaine distribution conspiracy operating in the Bristol, VA/TN region were sentenced to prison in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon.
On September 10, 2013, Ashanti Rhan Henry, 36, of Knoxville, Tenn., was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment following his earlier plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Ten members of the conspiracy have also previously been sentenced to terms of imprisonment:
Summer Shoulders, 21, of Bristol, Va., was sentenced to three years and one month imprisonment following her earlier plea of guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base.
Marcus Stines, 21, of Bristol, Va., was sentenced to ten years imprisonment following his earlier plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Orrett Ordine Anderson, 37, of Mt. Vernon, N.Y., was sentenced to ten years imprisonment following his earlier plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Karen Jade Nicole Miller, 27, of Bristol, Va., was sentenced to five years imprisonment following her earlier plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Kedrick Jamel Harris, 26, of Bristol, Tenn., was sentenced to ten years imprisonment following his earlier plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Bredgette Dewan Shaw, 24, of Bristol, Va., was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment following her earlier plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Jason Troy Pritchard, 36, of Bristol, Va., was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment following his earlier plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
James Carl Almaroad, 32, of Bristol, Va., was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment following his plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Jamie Lynn Stover, 36, of Bristol, Va., was sentenced to three years imprisonment following her earlier plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
Brittany Nicole Finch, 24, of Bristol, Va., was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment following her earlier plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
According to evidence presented at the guilty plea hearings by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Lee, Ashanti Rhan Henry, a previously convicted drug trafficker, supplied the Bristol, Virginia and Tennessee areas with large quantities of crack cocaine from sources in Knoxville, Tennessee, and New York, which was then distributed by other members of the conspiracy.
More than 30 controlled purchases of crack cocaine were made from Henry and other members of the conspiracy, and five search warrants were executed during the multi-year investigation by local, state, and federal law enforcement.
On March 25, 2012, a search warrant was executed by law enforcement at an apartment in the Rice Terrace apartment complex in Bristol, Virginia, and Henry, Shoulders, and Finch were found to be in possession of more than two ounces of crack cocaine.
Ref: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Virginia, September 12, 2013 (justice.gov)
