Demetrius McIlwain, a 51-year-old resident of Williston, South Carolina, has pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The plea was accepted by United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis, who will determine McIlwain's sentence after reviewing a report from the U.S. Probation Office.
According to evidence presented during the investigation, deputies from the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office responded to a location while searching for a suspect involved in an alleged domestic violence incident. They found McIlwain in the driver’s seat of a running vehicle with a female passenger. When deputies attempted to identify him and asked him to exit the vehicle, McIlwain informed them there was a shotgun inside before driving away. He later crashed his truck and fled on foot.
A search of the vehicle led deputies to discover an AR-style pistol in the front seat, a shotgun in the back seat, and another firearm stored in a toolbox. Deputies also found a small quantity of fentanyl in the driver's side cupholder. The passenger identified McIlwain as the driver, and paperwork found inside further connected him to the vehicle. McIlwain was subsequently arrested and admitted he had been driving.
McIlwain is barred from possessing firearms or ammunition due to previous convictions that include grand larceny, burglary (second degree non-violent), criminal sexual conduct (second degree), burglary (first and second degree), malicious injury to personal property, and assault and battery with intent to kill.
He faces up to 15 years in federal prison, along with possible fines reaching $250,000, restitution payments, and three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative designed to reduce violent crime and gun violence by coordinating efforts among law enforcement agencies and community organizations.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives collaborated with the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office on this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.
