A White County man indicted on federal charges of drug distribution and sex trafficking was in court Wednesday with his attorney trying to get released on bond after nearly five months in jail.
Court documents indicated authorities were told by a confidential source that Thomas Ray Kelso, 72, owner and manager of the Briarwood Apartments, was selling drugs and exploiting female residents of the complex into exchanging sex in payment for rent, to keep their electricity connected or for drugs.
A Searcy apartment building owner arrested last April by police following complaints of drug activity and human trafficking at the complex he owns appeared in federal court Thursday on a federal complaint accusing him of sex trafficking and drug distribution.
The following felony warrants requested by the 17th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney s Office have been issued for crimes committed in White County: