Four men were arrested Friday for allegedly dealing cocaine in Fairbanks.
According to a criminal complaint, a confidential informant told the Fairbanks Area Narcotics Team in January that drugs were being sold out of a Kellum Street apartment and a Noble Street apartment.
Investigators learned that 73-year-old Alton Keller was leasing the Kellum Street apartment.
The informant participated in two controlled buys, purchasing cocaine from Keller on Jan. 21 and Feb. 11. Investigators monitoring the apartment noted that 28-year-old Jarkese Demonte Pridgeon was a frequent visitor, and the informant said they saw Pridgeon at the apartment on one occasion. Investigators also saw Pridgeon outside the Noble Street apartment in January.
Investigators observed 40-year-old Willie Wilson Jr.’s rental car outside his Trinidad Drive apartment on Feb. 7 and noted that Wilson made daily trips to the Noble Street apartment.
In March, Wilson reportedly visited the Noble Street apartment in a different rental car, carrying a small package. A confidential informant purchased cocaine from Pridgeon on March 3 and March 4, and bought 7½ grams of methamphetamine from Wilson on March 14.
On April 21, Alaska State Troopers stopped a car near Mile 244 of the Parks Highway. Texas resident Tremain Terrell Wilson, 38, was driving, with Willie Wilson as his passenger. The men told troopers they were visiting friends and family in Fairbanks. They drove to the Trinidad Drive apartment before going to Pridgeon’s new Bradway Road apartment.
Investigators arrested Willie Wilson at the Chena Pump Transfer Site on Thursday afternoon. They found 21 grams of crack cocaine on him, along with more than $900 in cash. When investigators arrived at the Trinidad Drive apartment with a search warrant, Tremain Wilson and another man attempted to run out the back door.
Inside Tremain Wilson’s bedroom, investigators found more than 1,000 grams of cocaine still in brick form. Some packaging materials were located inside Tremain Wilson’s luggage. In Willie Wilson’s room, they found two digital scales, a bowl with methamphetamine residue, a small amount of methamphetamine, loose cash, thousands of dollars hidden at the bottom of a trash can, and multiple large packaging bags.
Willie Wilson faces one count of felony second-degree drug misconduct and three counts of felony third-degree drug misconduct. A Fairbanks judge set his bail at $75,000.
Keller, Pridgeon, and Tremain Wilson were each charged with two counts of felony third-degree drug misconduct. Their bail was set at $10,000, $10,000, and $50,000, respectively.
Contact Haley Lehman at 907-459-7575 or by email at hlehman@newsminer.com.
