Louisville Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fentanyl and Illegal Possession of Handgun
Louisville – A Louisville man was sentenced on December 13, 2021, to over 12 years in prison for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a gun.
According to court documents, on March 22, 2019, James Terry Wood, 37, possessed over 18 grams of fentanyl and a Browning .40 caliber handgun. Wood had previous felony convictions for reckless homicide, facilitating burglary and kidnapping, possessing controlled substances, being a felon in possession of a firearm, evading police, and tampering with evidence.
Wood had an outstanding federal arrest warrant, and on March 22, 2019, the United States Marshals Service located Wood in a truck in a Walmart parking lot on Raggard Road in Louisville. The Marshals, with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department, surrounded Wood’s truck. Wood then brandished a handgun, leading to a standoff that lasted several hours before Wood eventually got out of the truck and surrendered. Wood was convicted at trial on May 20, 2021.
“As demonstrated by this case, our federal law enforcement agencies have strong working relationships with LMPD,” stated Michael A. Bennett, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. “I commend the U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, LMPD, and the assigned prosecutors for their outstanding work in making Louisville safer for all who live and work here.”
“Persons with histories of violent crime and drug offenses, like this defendant, pose an increased threat to the safety of our communities and are the focus of our firearms enforcement efforts,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Field Division. “Today’s sentencing is another example of the ongoing efforts of ATF, Louisville Metro Police Department and U.S. Marshals Service partnering together to take a violent, repeat offender off the streets and make our communities safer for everyone.”
“LMPD is grateful to have such strong federal partnerships and we look forward to further dismantling criminal activity,” said Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields. “We’re seeing how valuable these collaborations are as we strive to keep our community safe. We want the public to know this criminal conduct will not be tolerated in our community as demonstrated by the prosecution of this case.
Wood was sentenced to 147 months of incarceration followed by 5 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Marshals, and the Louisville Metro Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nute Bonner and David Weiser prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.
