COLUMBIA, SC (WBTW) -US Attorney Beth Drake announced Friday that a Florence County man pleaded guilty to gun and drug charges in federal court.
According to a press release, 32-year-old Justin Dewayne Barr of Scranton plead guilty to felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana.
The release says on February 28, 2017, a deputy with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office pulled a car over after they observed a vehicle make an improper turn and run a red light.
The deputy said the driver smelled of marijuana so the officer asked Barr to step out of the vehicle. After Barr got out, he ran. At one point during the chase, Barr fought with the deputy and turned the deputy’s wrist, turning the taser into the deputy’s inner thigh while it was cycling, causing the deputy to be briefly incapacitated.
Barr was taken in custody shortly afterwards.
Investigators found two bags of marijuana and just over $1,000 in cash on Barr after the chase. A search of the vehicle revealed a bag of cocaine, a bag of cocaine base, digital scales and a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with eleven rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Barr had been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year before the search.
According to the US attorney’s office, Barr faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
