PRESS RELEASE
May 23, 2008
Lexington, Ky. —William Demario Johnson, 27, of Danville, Ky., was sentenced today by United States Senior District Court Judge Karl S. Forester to 90 months in prison and five years of supervised release for possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine and possession of firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking.
In December of 2007, Johnson pleaded guilty to the charges and admitted that on May 14, 2007, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on his residence in Danville. During the search, officers found 13.85 grams of cocaine base (crack cocaine) and $1,500 in United States currency, both in a coat inside the Defendant’s bedroom closet. Also, the bedroom search resulted in the discovery of a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol, a loaded Rossi .357 caliber pistol, a loaded Ruger 9 mm pistol and a stolen, loaded, a Glock .40 caliber pistol. Under federal law, Johnson must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.
James A. Zerhusen, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Paul J. Vido, Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), jointly made the announcement today after the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Boyle County Sheriff’s Office, Danville Police Department, Junction City Police Department and ATF in Lexington. The case was referred for federal prosecution by Richie Bottoms, Boyle County Commonwealth’s Attorney, and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in connection with the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. The PSN program is a Department of Justice initiative aimed at reducing gun crimes and violent crime, including armed drug trafficking. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert M. Duncan, Jr. and Brandon W. Marshall.