[B]URLINGTON — A federal grand jury Thursday returned indictments on heroin charges against a father and daughter from the Northeast Kingdom who also are being questioned in the shooting death of a 37-year-old Waterford man.
The body of Michael Pimental was found Sunday off a rural dirt road in Concord, about 15 miles from the Waterford home he shared with his girlfriend, 27-year-old Krystal Whitcomb. Pimental had been shot multiple times and police have termed his death a homicide. A report on his autopsy has not been released.
No charges have been filed in connection with Pimental’s slaying. But Whitcomb and her 51-year-old father, Shawn Whitcomb, were named in the indictment charging them with heroin distribution Thursday by a federal grand jury sitting in Burlington.
Police this week searched the Duck Pond Road home Pimental shared with Krystal Whitcomb and reported finding “bundles” of heroin and duffle bags full of cash.
The Whitcombs appeared together Thursday in federal court in Burlington for an arraignment on the indictment handed down minutes earlier. The father and daughter sat at the same defense table separated by their attorneys during the hearing.
They both pleaded not guilty to one count each of heroin distribution, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, if convicted. Attorneys for both did not challenge a prosecutor’s request that each defendant remain jailed.
Both Whitcombs told the judge they understood the charges against them.
Krystal Whitcomb told the judge she was a self-employed hairdresser. Her father said he was disabled, but had previously worked restoring log cabins.
Both defense lawyers said to federal Magistrate Judge John Conroy that were trying to secure beds in a residential treatment facilities for their clients who both suffer from substance abuse addictions.
If those residential beds are secured, the attorneys said, they plan to file motions seeking the judge’s approval to release their clients so they can seek treatment.
Following the hearing, attorney Michael Straub, representing Krystal Whitcomb, and lawyer Ian Carleton, representing Shawn Whitcomb, both declined comment on the cases against their clients and their connections to the ongoing homicide probe.
Both Whitcombs were taken into federal custody Sunday, the same day Pimental’s body was discovered. They were detained on drug charges and made initial court appearances Monday.
On Thursday, about 15 minutes before a scheduled detention hearing for the father and daughter, the federal grand jury returned a formal indictment against the pair.
The indictments charge Krystal Whitcomb with selling heroin on Oct. 10, and Shawn Whitcomb with selling heroin on Sept. 6.
According to court filings, the Whitcombs as well as Pimental had been the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Vermont Drug Task Force involving confidential informants that started in July.
Following their arrests on the drug charges Sunday, both Whitcombs were questioned about Pimental’s death, court records stated. Police and court records have not revealed what either said when questioned about Pimental’s killing.
Vermont State Police Capt. Daniel Trudeau, head of the major crimes unit, said late Thursday afternoon that the investigation into Pimental’s death was continuing, with police continuing to search properties and interview witnesses.
“There’s a couple more people were trying to track down and interview to see what they have to say,” Trudeau said.
