Sponsor
A Texarkana man accused of money laundering, drug crimes and weapons offenses entered pleas of not guilty Wednesday.
Ikee Wyrick, 25, appeared with Texarkana attorney Darren Anderson for arraignment on charges of deadly conduct, unlawful possession of a firearm and money laundering before 102nd District Judge Bobby Lockhart. Anderson entered pleas of not guilty on Wyrick’s behalf.
Wyrick was indicted for those offenses by a Bowie County grand jury last month. Four felony drug offenses for which Wyrick has not been indicted were listed on the docket as well. Those cases cannot be presented to a grand jury until testing results from the state crime lab have been received by prosecutors.
Wyrick’s money laundering and unlawful firearm possession charges, as well as the unindicted drug offenses, stem from a search of his home conducted Jan. 10 by Texarkana, Texas, Police Department’s Special Investigative Unit, according to a probable cause affidavit. Seized from Wyrick’s home in the 1700 block of West Martin Luther King in Texarkana, Texas, were drugs valued at approximately $70,000.
Inside the residence, they discovered 19.5 pounds of marijuana, 31 grams of cocaine, 1,238 Xanax pills, and 3 tablets of MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy). Officers also seized an undisclosed amount of cash found hidden throughout the house and a loaded pistol.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Wyrick was employing other individuals to deposit thousands in cash into bank accounts for him in an attempt to launder the alleged drug money. Investigators seized Wyrick’s smart car and a Mercedes SUV for which he allegedly paid cash. Wyrick allegedly claimed he earned the money to buy the cars working at McDonald’s.
The deadly conduct charge facing Wyrick stems from an August incident on a Texarkana, Texas, street. Wyrick allegedly cut off another driver at the intersection of West 13th Street and Bowie Street. The driver reported ta Wyrick got out of his smart car and opened the other driver’s door. The driver told police he pepper sprayed and punched Wyrick and that wired fired two shots from a handgun.
According to a probable cause affidavit in that case, two people walking in the area were struck by bullets but were not seriously injured.
Wyrick is being held in the Bowie County jail. Wyrick’s combined bail on the charges he faces is $340,000.
