Johnston Reporter

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued the following announcement on Jan. 10.

United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that today in federal court, United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan, sentenced GLENN SHAW, 43, of Princeton to 172 months’ imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.  SHAW was named in a four-count Superseding Indictment on December 4, 2018, charging him with possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one found of possessing a sawed-off shotgun that was unregistered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.  On February 25, 2019, he pled guilty to the methamphetamine offense and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

According to the investigation, on the afternoon of June 8, 2018, a Johnston County Sheriff’s Office deputy conducted a traffic stop on a black Ford F250 in Princeton, North Carolina for having unlawful purple license plate lights.  The driver, identified as SHAW, seemed unusually nervous, and the deputy could smell marijuana in the truck.  The deputy also noticed a large machete sitting in the passenger seat.  When asked whether he had anything illegal in the truck, SHAW became hysterical.  Deputies removed SHAW from the truck, and as they opened the door, they spotted what was later confirmed to be an ounce (26 grams) of 98% pure crystal meth. 

The investigation continued and on the morning of July 14, 2018, the Goldsboro Police Department responded to a call at Taco Bell on 11th Street in Goldsboro concerning an unresponsive man sitting in the driver’s seat of a Ford truck.  The officer found the truck running, in park, but not in a parking space.  He made contact with the man in the driver’s seat, again identified as SHAW, who slowly awoke after the officer repeatedly slapped the driver’s side window.  Fearing that SHAW may be in the midst of an overdose, law enforcement contacted Fire and EMS and checked his vitals.  SHAW declined to be transported to the hospital but consented to a search of the car.   When officers opened the driver’s side door, they spotted a syringe filled with a clear liquid suspected of being heroin.  In the glove compartment, officers found a Colt Model Combat Commander .45 caliber pistol.  SHAW was prohibited from possessing the gun, having previously sustained a pair of state felony convictions for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. 

This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian. 

This case is also 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Goldsboro Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Jake D. Pugh represented the government.        

Original source can be found here.