INDIANAPOLIS – Leonard Williamson Jr., 34, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, on February 7, 2021, Williamson fled from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers after they attempted to arrest him for several outstanding warrants. While fleeing from police, Williamson threw a bag containing crack cocaine on the ground. Officers recovered the cocaine, and Williamson was in possession of $4,942 in cash at the time of his arrest. Williamson has several prior felony convictions, including dealing and possession of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. The jury in this case also returned verdicts of not guilty to firearms charges.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Chief Randal Taylor, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division made the announcement.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon ordered that the defendant be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pamela S. Domash and Peter A. Blackett who prosecuted this case.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.