Even though we’ve lived in a society where we can instantly communicate with people throughout the world for a long time, it’s still hard to fully gauge all the side-effects this new world has in store for us.
Still, one that’s both easy to identify and hard to get used is how quickly our perceptions of people can change. We can celebrate someone for a lovely gesture one day only to find out about the darker parts of their character the day after.
However, in the case of one South Carolina man, it seems that this quick turnaround would’ve happened whether social media existed or not.
On Friday night, this man made a huge impression on one lucky Girl Scout troop.
In an effort to get them out of the cold for the evening, he purchased all the cookies they had on them, which cost him $540.
Thanks in large part to his generosity, the troop went on to sell 221 boxes of cookies that night.
As the troop’s cookie manager, Kayla Dillard, told CBS News, the amount that he bought would likely have taken them another day and a half to sell.
At the time, neither Dillard nor most others who heard about his actions had any idea who the man was.
And based on what he would experience four days later, it’s likely that he’s now wishing he could have stayed unidentified.
However, we now know that his name is Detric McGowan of Lauren County.
And the reason why we know this is that he is now in the custody of the U.S. Marshals and stands accused of eight different crimes.
Different as they may be, all of the charges he now faces are related to drug trafficking.
Among his charges are possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, interstate travel and transportation in the aid of drug trafficking business, as well as conspiracy charges for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, importing those substances, and committing bulk cash smuggling.
In particular, McGowan stands accused of trying to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.
He was arrested after a raid on his home by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, where CBS17 reported U.S. Marshals seized a high volume of cash and other assets.
What they uncovered is likely why he’s specifically charged with conspiracy to smuggle $1,004,665.
As ironic as it would be for the viral post of McGowan’s Girl Scout deed to lead to his capture, this doesn’t appear to be the case.
A representative from the DEA told CBS News that his arrest was part of an investigation that began as far back as September 2018.
So when McGowan appeared before a judge on Tuesday, he was accompanied by several others who authorities believe were part of the operation.
The group was reportedly trying to import drugs from Mexico. McGowan is expected to have a bond hearing Friday.
h/t: CBS17
