Jasper Police Chief Garrett Foster said Monday that a man who was already in jail on an unrelated charges in Newton County is now facing additional charges following an investigation by the department's Safe Streets Division and the Texas Department of Public Safety, which targeted the distribution of methamphetamine commonly known as "Speed".
Foster said the evidence gathered resulting in a indictment being handed down by a federal grand jury charging Mark Daniel Swartout of Newton with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance said to include Methamphetamine, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.
Foster said that after the indictment was handed down, the United States Marshals Service transferred Swartout to the LaSalle Unit in Beaumont, Texas, where he will remain while awaiting further proceedings in federal court. However, Foster said Swartout may face further federal charges related to a recent unrelated arrest by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.
Following the announcement, Foster said "The Jasper Police Department would like to express its gratitude to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the Newton County District Attorney’s Office, and the Southeast Texas Violent Crime Task Force (SETXVCTF) for their invaluable assistance and collaboration throughout this investigation. Cases like this underscore the critical importance of ongoing partnerships among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in the fight against illegal narcotics distribution in our communities."
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