Montgomery, Alabama – On November 9, 2021, Jimmy Lamar Berry, 36, from Dothan, Alabama, was sentenced to 188 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, announced Acting United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to the factual basis contained in the plea agreement and other court records, on August 28, 2017, the Dothan Police Department executed a search warrant on Berry’s residence. During the search, cocaine and a digital scale were found in the kitchen, along with a handgun. Officers also located various amounts of marijuana, cocaine, and other controlled substances in one of the cars in the back yard of Berry’s house.
Later, on July 11, 2019, the Dothan Police Department and the United States Marshals Service executed an arrest warrant for Berry relating to a federal indictment that stemmed, in part, from evidence discovered during the August 2017 search. While making the arrest, officers smelled the odor of marijuana inside Berry’s residence. Law enforcement then obtained a search warrant and found more cocaine and marijuana, a digital scale with cocaine residue on it, and another firearm. Based on evidence found during this search, additional charges were brought in a superseding federal indictment in September of 2019. Berry pleaded guilty on July 1, 2021 to three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Based on Berry’s criminal history, the district court judge determined that he qualified as a career offender under the federal sentencing guidelines and was subject to sentencing enhancements under the Armed Career Criminal Act of 1984. These rulings increased the guidelines range for Berry and resulted in a significant sentence.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Dothan Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Justin Jones prosecuted the case.
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