The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of
Vermont announced today that Taylor Ruffin Herrington, a.k.a. “Tee,” 34, of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested today in Philadelphia by the FBI on an
outstanding arrest warrant issued last week in the District of Vermont. Herrington made his initial appearance today
in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia before U.S. Magistrate Judge David
Strawbridge. He was detained pending his
transfer to Vermont.
According to court documents, on March 3, 2020, at or about
2:50 a.m., Michael Haines and Amy Pudvah contacted the Vermont State Police,
reporting that an individual known by the nickname “Tee” was attempting to
enter their residence in Cambridge, Vermont. According to the callers, Tee was
with a person named “Sam Simms,” in Simms’ truck. Tee left in the truck but
then returned to the residence a short time later and asked Haines for his
(Tee’s) duffle bag. Haines threw the bag
over the back deck. A short time later,
while Haines was on the phone with a Vermont State Police trooper, Haines told
the trooper he had been shot. Pudvah was
in the residence with Haines and, after Haines was shot, she ran upstairs to
her two juvenile children who were also in the residence. Tee was later identified as Taylor Ruffin
Herrington.
Investigation in the case further revealed that Pudvah had
picked up Herrington in Burlington on March 2 at Haines’s request. Herrington got in the car and put a duffle bag
in the trunk. Pudvah brought Herrington
back to the Cambridge residence where Haines and Herrington hung out
together. Haines and Herrington
eventually left Cambridge and went back to Burlington. Haines then suddenly
left Burlington, without Herrington, and returned home. Around this same time, Haines went to a
friend’s house, again without Herrington, and showed the friend a large amount
of heroin in a ziplock baggie. After Haines was killed, investigators searched
Haines’s residence and found a large amount of heroin in a ziplock bag hidden
inside the residence.
On March 12, 2020, the grand jury sitting in Burlington
returned an indictment charging Herrington with carrying and using a firearm
during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §
924(c)(1)(A), and conspiracy to distribute heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§
841(a)(1), 846. If convicted of the
firearm charge, Herrington faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and up
to a $250,000 fine. For the drug charge,
Herrington faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and up to a $500,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, would be
determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory Federal Sentencing
Guidelines. The United States Attorney
emphasizes that the charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and that
the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.
United States Attorney Christina Nolan commended the
collaborative investigation of federal, state, and local law enforcement. She specifically thanked the Vermont State
Police, the FBI in Vermont and Philadelphia, and the Lamoille County State’s
Attorney’s Office. She stated: “Thanks to the tremendous teamwork of Vermont
and Philadelphia law enforcement, this crime was efficiently investigated and
the suspect swiftly identified and apprehended.
We will be unflagging in our efforts to protect Vermonters, fight for
the rights of victims, and promote public safety. We will continue to prioritize prevention and
punishment of violent crime, and those who engage in crimes like this will find
themselves facing severe penalties.”
“When crimes occur, the Vermont State Police works
diligently to identify offenders, apprehend them and bring them to court to
answer charges,” said Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Criminal Division for
the state police.
“We’re grateful to have federal partners including the FBI
and the U.S. Attorney’s Office that are equally dedicated to pursuing justice.
That’s what we owe to victims, their families and the public,” Trudeau added.
“In this case, the arrest of a suspect in Philadelphia just over two weeks
after a homicide in Cambridge, Vermont, is due in no small part to the tireless
work and seamless collaboration between the Vermont State Police, the Vermont
Drug Task Force, the Lamoille County State’s Attorney’s Office, the FBI and the
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. We’re incredibly thankful
for the joint effort that led to this arrest.”
This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police and
the FBI, both in Vermont and Philadelphia, PA.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe
Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. PSN is the
centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction
efforts. PSN is an evidence-based
program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad
spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent
crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address
them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most
violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry
programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department
of Justice. Learn more about the history
of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant
U.S. Attorney Wendy Fuller. Taylor Ruffin Herrington is represented by
Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.
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