Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on January 15, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Terry Dawayne Catchings, 31, of Detroit, Michigan, with two counts of distribution of cocaine and cocaine base and one count of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute it.
Catchings entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on January 15, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Catchings be detained pending trial.
According to court records, Catchings distributed cocaine and cocaine base on December 23, 2025, and December 30, 2025, at a location in Vermont. On January 7, 2026, Vermont State Police stopped Catchings for speeding on Interstate 89 in Randolph. A search of Catchings’s vehicle revealed approximately 114 grams of cocaine hidden in the fabric lining of the ceiling.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Catchings is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Catchings faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the three counts if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the Morristown Police Department, the Vermont Drug Task Force, the FBI, and the Vermont State Police.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill. Catchings is represented by Kevin Henry, Esq.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Vermont — U.S. Department of Justice press release.