ALBANY, Ga. – A Southwest Georgia resident and gang member with an extensive criminal history was sentenced to serve 200 months in prison after a federal jury found him guilty on all counts.
Quinton Jarod Simmons, 30, of Adel, Georgia, was sentenced to a total of 200 months for possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine by U.S. District Judge Louis Sands on June 2 in Albany. Simmons was convicted on all counts on Thursday, Feb. 10, resulting from a four-day trial at the Valdosta, Georgia, federal courthouse.
“Repeat offenders face federal prosecution in Middle Georgia as we continue to focus law enforcement efforts on those who constantly commit crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Through the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work closely with local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as our community partners, to make Middle Georgia a safer place.”
“With twelve prior convictions, Simmons was a continuous threat to the safety of the citizens in our community,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is proud to work with our partners in the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program to help convict repeat offenders at the federal level, where they face steeper penalties and no opportunity for parole.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Simmons, a member of the Crips street gang, fled Remerton Police Department Officers who were attempting to conduct a traffic stop for a traffic violation on June 15, 2018. Simmons ran through a red light during the pursuit and crashed his vehicle into a tree on Georgia Avenue in Valdosta. Simmons attempted to escape his car, but responding officers took him into custody. Simmons was in possession of a Glock 22 firearm that had been reported stolen by an Adel resident in April 2018, as well as two clear bags of pink and blue pills that tested positive for methamphetamine. Simmons has a lengthy criminal history, with 12 prior convictions, including burglary, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, fleeing a police officer and theft by taking.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.
The case was investigated by FBI, GBI, Remerton Police Department, Valdosta State University Police Department, Valdosta Police Department, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Valdosta-Lowndes Regional Crime Laboratory and Georgia State Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sonja Profit and Mike Morrison prosecuted the case.