RALEIGH, N.C. – Jason Patterson, 29, of Raleigh, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Patterson pled guilty to the charges on February 16, 2022.
According to court records and statements made during hearings, on August 12, 2020, the Raleigh Police Department executed a search warrant at Jason Patterson’s Raleigh residence based on drug distribution activity. Minutes before they executed the search warrant, officers observed Patterson arrive at the home with a red bookbag and then leave again without the bag. Officers in marked patrol vehicles attempted to stop Patterson, but he fled on foot and was taken into custody after a short foot chase. They saw Patterson throw an object over a brick wall, and with assistance from a K-9, they located two bags containing 35 grams of cocaine.
Officers proceeded with the home search, and on the kitchen counter, they found the red bookbag that they had seen Patterson holding. It contained a plastic bag of 48 grams of cocaine, another smaller bag of cocaine, a digital scale, and cash. In a kitchen cabinet, officers found glass jars containing marijuana and cocaine, a digital scale, sandwich bags, and a container of rolled marijuana joints. In a nightstand by the master bedroom, officers found a Steyr 9mm handgun. From a brown cardboard box in the master bedroom closet, they recovered a black 9mm Polymer handgun with a 30-round extended magazine.
Prior to his federal prosecution, Patterson had accrued eight North Carolina felony convictions for drug offenses, as well as a felony conviction for assault by strangulation.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Raleigh Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-cr-0029-BO.