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July 30, 2010

Pot plane suspect fighting extradition

BRAD KELLAR Greenville Herald Banner

Greenville —

Darin Fayne apparently does not want to come back to Texas, to face charges he possessed more than 180 pounds of marijuana and attacked a federal agent at a local airport.

The man who was alleged to have abandoned a plane at the Caddo Mills Municipal Airport last week, after dropping bundles of marijuana in the Neylandville area, is reportedly fighting extradition from California, where he was arrested near his home in Fresno early Wednesday morning.

“We will be in the process of obtaining a governor’s warrant to bring Mr. Fayne back to Hunt County to face the charges here,” Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks said Thursday.

The obtaining of the warrant can be a lengthy process.

“We have 30 days, since he is fighting extradition,” Meeks said, adding it was his first time at seeking a governor’s warrant. “But that’s the only thing holding us up. We’re ready to go get him.”

Fayne was being held in custody without bond Thursday in the Fresno County Jail in Fresno, California, where he was awaiting arraignment on charges from Hunt County of possession of marijuana and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a public servant.

Five duffel bags believed connected to a plane abandoned early on the morning of July 19 at the Caddo Mills Municipal Airport have been recovered. Three of the bags were found in the Neylandville area and one with the aircraft that morning. Another 89 pounds of marijuana were found inside the plane after a search warrant was served during the afternoon. A fifth duffel bag was recovered in a Neylandville-area pasture on the evening of July 22.

The total amount recovered came to 185 pounds. The street value of the hydroponic marijuana has been estimated at anywhere between $740,000 and $1.5 million.

The possession charge is a second degree felony, punishable upon conviction by a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, and the aggravated assault charge is a first degree charge, punishable upon conviction by a sentence of up to life in prison.

The assault charge involves an incident at Majors Field Municipal Airport in Greenville on the morning of July 19. According to statements by the Air Marines, their aircraft landed and was stationary on the runway at Majors. An armed, uniformed federal agent deboarded and attempted to approach the Cherokee 140 aircraft believed piloted by Fayne. According to the agent’s report, the Cherokee aircraft accelerated directly at the agent and the Air Marine plane, with the wing of the suspect plane moving directly underneath the Air Marine plane.

The Cherokee 140 aircraft was later found abandoned and out of fuel at the Caddo Mills airport.

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