Bay Minette Man Sentenced on Drug and Gun Charges

United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Cory Marquise Williams, 24, of Bay Minette, Alabama, was sentenced to 76 months imprisonment on gun and drug charges.  Court documents show that Williams was arrested in August of 2016 in Bay Minette following a report to Bay Minette police that individuals at a particular location were using illegal drugs.  Officers responded to investigate and they observed Williams and another person in the vehicle at the reported location.  Williams attempted to enter the residence but was detained and questioned.  The officers found a stolen gun and scales in the vehicle he had just left, and Williams was found to be in possession of  13 baggies of marijuana.  Williams attempted to destroy the drug evidence by diving over the hood of the police car, where police had left the drugs, and attempting to swallow the drugs and the plastic bags containing them.  Officers recovered some of the drugs, which tested positive for marijuana.  Williams pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana and using, carrying or possessing a firearm in furtherance of and in relation to a drug trafficking offense in November of 2017. 

United States District Court Judge William Steele sentenced Williams to 76 months’ imprisonment, noting that he had significant criminal history for a young man which included three prior felony drug convictions.  The judge also mentioned Williams’ daily use of drugs and alcohol, and ordered that Williams undergo drug and alcohol treatment and counseling while serving his sentence.  The sentence consisted of 18 months imprisonment on the drug count, and 60 months mandatory minimum consecutive imprisonment on the gun count.  The judge adjusted the 18 month sentence by two months, to give Williams credit for time spent in state custody on the federal charges, for a total sentence of imprisonment of 76 months.  The judge also ordered that Williams serve a three-year term of supervised release when he is discharged from his custody sentence, during which he will undergo further drug and alcohol abuse treatment.  Williams was also ordered to pay $200 in mandatory special assessments, but no fine was imposed. 

The case was investigated by the Bay Minette Police Department, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.  It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United Sates Attorney Gloria Bedwell.