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The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina sentenced a Columbia resident to more than five years in federal prison on Wednesday (June 26, 2024).
Kenneth Archie, 44, of Columbia S.C. pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana.
In evidence that was presented to the court, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) responded to an apartment complex on Old Manor Rd. in Columbia on June 14, 2021 – after a caller stated that Archie was trying to enter the front gate of the complex without permission.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, deputies spoke to Archie outside his front window and could smell marijuana coming from his vehicle and searched his car for further drug evidence.
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During the search, deputies found a backpack containing methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana – all of which Archie admitted to possessing.
Deputies also found a firearm in the backpack – which Archie was prohibited to have due to prior convictions for armed robbery, domestic violence in the 2nd degree and failure to stop for a blue light.
After reviewing the evidence, U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Archie to 70 months imprisonment – to which there is no parole – to be followed by a six-year term of court-ordered supervision.
This case is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) which is a program that brings all levels of law enforcement together – and the communities they serve – to reduce violent crime and gun violence in attempt to create safer neighborhoods.
In 2021, the department launched a strategy to strengthen PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in 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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Columbia Police Department (CPD) – with Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall prosecuting the case.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from J. L. Mann High School in 2021. She is currently a rising senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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