A Pierce County judge dismissed rape charges today against a man accused of assaulting a fellow jail inmate after DNA testing found no evidence the two had sexual contact.

Andre L. Bonds, 39, had maintained his innocence against the rape allegations, his attorney Bryan Hershman said Friday.

Prosecutors had charged Bonds  with three counts of second-degree rape after a man he’d shared a cell with reported earlier this year that Bonds had sexually assaulted him three times after guards locked down the jail for the night.

At the time, Bonds was in custody awaiting trial in connection with the 2010 …

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Two men swept up in last year’s crackdown on Tacoma’s Hilltop Crips street gang were sentenced this afternoon, bringing to 23 the number of people sent to prison in the case.

Andre L. Bonds, 38, who previously pleaded guilty to riot and conspiracy to commit drive-by shooting, received a five-year sentence from Pierce County Superior Court Judge Thomas Felnagle..

Adrian O. Jacobs, 22, who pleaded guilty to drive-by shooting and conspiracy to commit drive-by shooting, received seven years three months from Judge Frank Cuthbertson.

The two men were among 36 people charged in February 2009 as local law enforcement tried …

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A suspected member of Tacoma’s Hilltop Crips street gang was sentenced today to seven years, three months in prison.

A Pierce County jury last month convicted Deandre L. Beck, 28, of conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, first-degree robbery and car theft.

Prosecutors contended he and other members of the gang beat and robbed a man of his car outside a restaurant in the 3800 block of South Pine Street in July 2009.

Beck was one of 36 people charged in February in a law-enforcement crackdown on the Crips.

Twenty-nine of the men have been convicted of crimes. Five have charges …

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A man swept up in a crackdown on Tacoma’s Hilltop Crips street gang pleaded guilty today to three felonies.

Michael A. White, 34, entered pleas to one count each of drive-by shooting, riot and conspiracy to commit drive-by shooting.

He faces nine years, eight months in prison when sentenced Dec. 3.

Prosecutors contended he took part inside a December 2008 fracas at a Tacoma Denny’s restaurant in which a security guard was beaten and also participated in planning a February 2009 shooting outside a downtown Tacoma night club.

He was one of 36 people charged earlier this year in a …

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The federal case has been dismissed against one of the men accused in a large-scale crackdown on alleged members of a Tacoma street gang.

James R. Henry Jr., 30, had been charged in federal court as an “armed career criminal” with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers found a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol in February in his Tacoma home during a search. Henry has been convicted of four previous felonies and is forbidden from possessing a gun.

Earlier this month, Henry’s attorney challenged the search warrant used to …

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A 22-year-old man charged as part of a large-scale criminal case against 36 alleged members of a Tacoma street gang has pleaded guilty.

Adrian O. Jacobs entered modified guilty pleas this morning to drive-by shooting and conspiracy to commit drive-by shooting, said his attorney, Helen Whitener. He maintained his innocence but acknowledged the likelihood of his conviction at trial.

Prosecutors alleged Jacobs took part in a shooting outside Mount Tahoma High School’s stadium during a football game Sept. 18, 2009. No one was injured by the gunfire.

Jacobs was one of 36 alleged Hilltop Crips charged earlier this year …

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Six more men were convicted or pleaded guilty this week in connection with a wide-ranging criminal case against 36 alleged members of a Tacoma street gang.

A jury convicted Darryl Anthony Henderson, 33,and Deandre Lamar Beck, 28, as charged Thursday of conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, first-degree robbery and two counts of theft of a motor vehicle. Henderson is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 10; Beck on Oct. 22.

Prosecutors accused the two of taking part in a beating and robbery outside the Pine Street Landing Bar, 3832 S. Pine St., on July 22, 2009. The victim reported he was …

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A Pierce County jury on Wednesday convicted a suspected member of the Hilltop Crips street gang of attempted first-degree murder in a shooting that left a man paralyzed.

Deondre L. Posey, 23, faces a maximum sentence of 39 years, three months in prison when sentenced Oct. 22, deputy prosecutor Phil Sorensen said today. He also was convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Prosecutors contended Posey shot a man Sept. 9, 2009, in the 1400 block of South M Street. Fellow Crips were angry with the victim because they’d heard he’d made derogatory remarks about them and may have been dealing …

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