Arkansas Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing a Firearm as a Felon and Drug User

A man who was a felon and drug user was sentenced January 27, 2021, to more than 8 years in federal prison.

Deko Lomax, age 22, from Osceola, Arkansas, received the prison term after a September 23, 2020 guilty plea to being a felon and drug user in possession of a firearm.  Lomax had been convicted of Residential Theft and Theft of Property each in 2004, Theft of Property in 2007, and Robbery in 2009, among other offense, all in Mississippi County, Arkansas.

Evidence at Lomax’s, change of plea and sentencing hearings revealed on May 7, 2020, law enforcement executed a stop of a vehicle driven by Lomax for an expired registration.  Lomax told the officer he did not have a license.  The officer noticed an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.  Lomax admitted to the officer that he had smoked marijuana earlier.  A search of the vehicle was conducted and a handgun and ammunition in the magazine of the firearm was located in the glove box of the vehicle. 

Lomax was transported to the police department and during an interview Lomax stated he found the gun in the vehicle earlier in the day.  He admitted to wiping the bullet off which he had handled.  He admitted to committing previous felonies and stated his fingerprints would probably be on the firearm. While Lomax was being transported to the Law Enforcement Center for detention the officer advised Lomax that it was illegal to take contraband into the jail and that it was a felony if he did so.  At the jail, correction officers located 55 bags of cocaine on Lomax’s person.  The total weight of the 55 bags was 10.9 grams and field tested positive for cocaine.

Lomax was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Lomax was sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Lomax is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/dl?inline.

The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 20-4057.

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