A Springfield man facing a slew of charges relating to drug and firearm offenses is somewhere in state custody, waiting for his day in federal court. Hector Navarro, 36, stands accused of serious crimes, with the potential for sentences that could see him behind bars for decades, if not effectively for the rest of his life.
Yesterday's indictment by a federal grand jury comes off the back of a January bust. It was then, on the 27th, that Navarro was found in the possession of cocaine allegedly destined for the streets, a gun, and the bullets to load it – a lot of them. And it isn't Navarro's first time to quickly run afoul of the law. His past is a tapestry of convictions spanning from heroin distribution to a previous stint for the intention to distribute cocaine and even assault with a dangerous weapon.
As outlined in a charging document, the recent indictment includes possession with intent to distribute cocaine, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking felony. The first charge alone could lead to 20 years in a federal penitentiary and a $1,000,000 fine. The firearms charge? That could mean at least five more years, potentially life.
The announcement made by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Springfield Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers comes with a reminder: While the allegations are grave, Navarro remains innocent until a verdict is taken to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he is anything else. The case, riding on evidence gathered with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, is to be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse of Springfield's Branch Office.
