COLUMBUS - A Macon, Georgia resident with a violent criminal history in Muscogee County, Georgia was sentenced to 156 months in federal prison for gun and drug charges, said Charles “Charlie" Peeler, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Johmar Chandler, 40, of Macon, Georgia pleaded guilty to one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and one count of Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Today, U.S. District Judge Clay Land sentenced Mr. Chandler to 13 years in federal prison for his crimes. Mr. Chandler has two prior convictions in Muscogee County Superior Court and one prior conviction in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. There is no parole in the federal system.
Mr. Chandler was taken into custody by an officer with Fort Benning’s Directorate of Emergency Services on July 31, 2018, after the defendant was pulled over for driving at a high rate of speed on Highway 520, a public-access highway located on the perimeter portion of Fort Benning, just outside Columbus, Georgia. Mr. Chandler was carrying a 9mm pistol holding seven rounds of ammunition. Inside the car, a bag full of various drugs was discovered, including two smaller bags containing a total of 145 methamphetamine pills. Mr. Chandler admitted to agents, and in his signed plea agreement, that the gun and the drugs belonged to him, and that he knew it was illegal for a convicted felon to possess a gun.
“We are cracking down on convicted felons in possession of dangerous weapons in the Middle District of Georgia. It is illegal for convicted felons to have a gun, and if they are caught with one, they will be prosecuted," said Charles “Charlie" Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “I want to thank the law enforcement agents with Fort Benning and ATF for their assistance with this case."
The defendant was convicted in Muscogee County Superior Court on December 4, 2003 for Criminal Damage in the Second Degree and Nov. 29, 2004 for Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Crime, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. The defendant was convicted in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia on April 9, 2012 for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and Possession of Cocaine with the Intent to Distribute.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Williams prosecuted the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
