Bowling Green, KY – A federal grand jury in Bowling Green returned an indictment on August 10, 2022, charging a Hopkinsville, KY, man with possessing handguns and drugs on two separate days.
According to court documents, on May 17, 2022, in Logan County, KY, Marquez Penman, 29, possessed with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessed, in connection with his drug trafficking, a Taurus, model G2C, 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Additionally, on May 26, 2022, in Todd County, KY, Penman possessed with the intent to distribute marijuana and possessed, in connection with his drug trafficking, a Ruger, model SR-22, .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol.
Prior to these offenses Penman had been convicted of first-degree robbery in Christian Circuit Court in case number 13-CR-00349 and second-degree robbery in Christian Circuit Court in case number 11-CR-00423, making him a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Penman is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The defendant is scheduled for an arraignment on August 23, 2022, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division made the announcement.
The ATF, the Kentucky State Police, and the Todd County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Yurchisin II is prosecuting the case.
This case is 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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