Chicago Felon James L. Morgan Convicted in East Texas Drug Bust

James L. Morgan, a 44-year-old felon from Chicago, Illinois, was convicted Tuesday in federal court on charges tied to a high-speed drug run through East Texas. The verdict, delivered after a four-day trial in Texarkana, lands Morgan one step closer to a potential life sentence for trafficking methamphetamine and illegally possessing a firearm.

Morgan was stopped by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers on September 28, 2017, for swerving across lanes on IH-30 near Mt. Pleasant. What followed was a chaotic foot chase: Morgan bolted on foot, while passenger Antonio Alexander Lee jumped back into the vehicle and fled—only to be stopped by spike strips in Bowie County. Morgan was later caught sprinting across all lanes of interstate traffic and scrambling over a barbed wire fence.

A search of the abandoned car turned up more than 75 grams of actual methamphetamine, a loaded firearm, digital scale, and about one gram of heroin. Evidence confirmed Morgan had no legal right to carry a gun—his prior felony convictions barred him from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. Both men were indicted by a federal grand jury on October 18, 2017.

Lee, the passenger, avoided trial by pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess a controlled substance. On August 21, 2018, he was sentenced to 94 months in federal prison. Morgan, however, chose to roll the dice in court—and lost.

Now, Morgan faces up to life behind bars when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III. While the maximum penalty is dictated by federal statute, the actual sentence will be shaped by advisory guidelines and other court-weighed factors following a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case was jointly pursued by a heavy coalition of law enforcement: Texas DPS Criminal Investigation and Highway Patrol, ATF, DEA, Titus County Sheriff’s Office, Bowie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cass County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allen Hurst, Jonathan R. Hornok, and Graham Jones handled the prosecution for the Eastern District of Texas.

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