Repeat Offender Guilty of Illegally Possessing a Firearm in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ga. – A repeat offender who ran from deputies, scaling an airport fence during the chase, is facing a maximum of ten years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm.

Reginald Weeks-Lewis, 29, of Columbus, was found guilty of one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon at the conclusion of a one-day trial on Dec. 8, before U.S. District Judge Clay Land. The defendant faces a maximum of fifteen years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2026. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Armed repeat felony offenders are seeing their cases make it to the federal prosecutor’s office, where they face steep penalties,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm, and our office is working alongside our law enforcement partners to hold these individuals accountable for their crimes.”

“Our collaboration with local law enforcement and federal agencies is crucial in tackling the issue of gun violence,” said Acting ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Robert Davis. “We will continue to pursue those who violate the law, especially repeat offenders, with the full weight of federal penalties.’”

“The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to our federal partners in order to remove firearms from the hands of those who should not have them,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman. “We will continue to ensure that Muscogee County is a safer place to work and live for our citizens.”

According to court documents and statements referenced at trial, Weeks-Lewis was driving on Sidney Simons Boulevard in Columbus in the early hours of March 1, 2025, when Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office deputies on patrol observed a traffic violation and initiated a stop. At first, Weeks-Lewis slowed the vehicle down and began to pull off to the side of the road, but then abruptly made a U-turn and began traveling north on Armour Road. Weeks-Lewis lost control of the vehicle, and it traveled across four lanes of traffic, striking the left shoulder of the roadway and blowing out a tire. As deputies approached the car, Weeks-Lewis got out and ran. Deputies followed and loudly commanded him to stop; Weeks-Lewis repeatedly shouted to deputies that he had a firearm.

Weeks-Lewis ran toward the Columbus Municipal Airport and climbed its perimeter fence. A short time later, deputies found him lying face down on airport property in a brushy area. He was taken into custody; the defendant’s semiautomatic pistol with eleven rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber was found tucked between the driver's seat and the center console of his car. Weeks-Lewis has prior felony convictions in Muscogee County Superior Court for burglary, theft by taking, obstruction, vandalism to a place of worship and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was investigated by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with assistance from the Muscogee County District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Hansis is prosecuting the case for the Government.