Sacramento Man Charged With Escape From Fresno Facility

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment yesterday against Juhun Merrell Brown, 42, of Sacramento, charging him with escaping from custody, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. 

According to court documents, Brown was sentenced to federal prison for distributing methamphetamine in 2014. In January 2017, Brown was transferred to the federal halfway house facility in Fresno as part of his sentence. On March 13, 2017, officials found that he failed to return to the facility as required. Brown was subsequently arrested and appeared in court on October 5, 2017, and he appeared for arraignment on the indictment today. 

This case was the product of an investigation by the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Laurel J. Montoya is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Brown faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.