BEAUMONT- A 28-year-old Jasper man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Shane Dwayne Hadnot pleaded guilty on Dec. 10, 2014, to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone.
According to information presented in court, on Nov. 7, 2013, Alfred Wright, of Jasper, Texas, was reported missing by his family after his truck broke down in rural Sabine County, Texas.
Articles of Wright's clothing were found on private land, approximately a mile from where Wright was last seen. After searchers initially failed to locate Wright, his body was found on Nov. 25, 2013 in brush near where his clothing had been found.
An investigation into the cause of Wright's disappearance and death revealed his involvement with Shane Hadnot.
Phone records, witness statements, and drug evidence located during the search of Shane Hadnot's car, indicated that Hadnot was selling cocaine to Alfred Wright. During the two-day period before Wright's death, Hadnot and Wright exchanged 20 text messages.
The indictment alleged that on Nov. 7, 2013, Wright sent a text message to Hadnot at 12:36 pm requesting to purchase cocaine and other illegal narcotics from Hadnot.
Wright went missing approximately five hours later. An autopsy was performed on Wright's body and toxicology testing revealed that Wright's blood contained cocaine, methamphetamine and Xanax.
The final autopsy report, and other experts in the fields of pathology, toxicology, and anthropology concluded that Wright's cause of death was an accident due to combined drug intoxication. Hadnot was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 6, 2014 and charged with drug trafficking violations.
This case was investigated by the Texas Rangers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brit Featherston and John B. Ross.
