Jackie Jermaine Watson, a 30-year-old Columbia resident, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The sentence will be served consecutively to his current state prison term for violating probation.
According to investigators, on April 22, 2024, officers from the Columbia Police Department responded to a motel on North Main Street after receiving a report about a stolen moped. Officers located the moped and were confronted by Watson, who later admitted he had purchased it from a drug user. After obtaining a search warrant for Watson’s motel room, police found a .40 caliber pistol, 62 grams of crack cocaine, 473 grams of marijuana, as well as Watson’s driver’s license and court paperwork. The key to the moped was also recovered.
Watson has previous convictions including assault and battery first degree, possession of a stolen pistol, and burglary. At the time of this incident, he was on state probation for his prior conviction involving a stolen pistol. He had previously participated in the City of Columbia’s Project Ceasefire program, which provides social service resources to certain probationers while warning them that future crimes would result in expedited prosecution.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Watson to 60 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. The federal sentence will begin after completion of his current state sentence. Federal sentences are not eligible for parole.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that coordinates law enforcement efforts at all levels with community organizations to reduce violent crime and gun violence. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched an updated strategy focused on building trust within communities, supporting violence prevention programs, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia Police Department investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sanford is prosecuting.
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