Fayette County Man Sentenced To 57 Months for Illegal Firearm Possession While Fleeing From Police

LEXINGTON, Ky. –A Lexington man, Marcellis Means, 24, was sentenced Friday to 57 months in federal prison, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, for one count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

According to Means’ guilty plea agreement, on July 10, an officer made contact with him and another occupant of a parked vehicle, outside of a business near Patchen Drive in Lexington.  Means admitted that, when the officer made contact, he quickly exited the vehicle and began to flee on foot.  During the foot pursuit, Means removed a firearm from his waistband, resulting in the officer discharging his firearm. Means was apprehended by law enforcement shortly thereafter, and then admitted he was attempting to get rid of the firearm during the pursuit.  Officers were able to locate the firearm discarded by Means.  The firearm was found loaded and chambered with ammunition, and confirmed to be stolen.  Means was a convicted felon, having previously been convicted of Assault Second Degree in 2015, and was prohibited from possessing the firearm.

Under federal law, Means must serve 85 percent of his sentence. Upon completion of his imprisonment, he will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for a period of three years.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and the Lexington Police Department, in conjunction with the Kentucky State Police.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Tommy Estevan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Lawrence Weathers, Chief of Police, Lexington Police Department; and Chad White, Deputy Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, jointly made the announcement.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The PSN program was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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