Marcus Terrelle Marsh, Gun Possession as Felon, South Carolina 2017

Columbia Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Gun Charge

A Columbia man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a federal firearms charge, the U.S. Attorney’s office in South Carolina announced. Marcus Terrelle Marsh, 34, was sentenced to 180 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

According to court documents, on July 25, 2017, an officer with the Benedict College Police Department observed Marsh walking on the sidewalk in front of the school’s business development center. The officer noticed a handgun on Marsh’s right hip area and pulled his car around to approach Marsh. When the officer asked Marsh to stop and be searched, he refused and ran, discarding the gun in the process. Marsh was eventually apprehended and the gun was recovered.

Marcus Marsh is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior state convictions, which include unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of crack cocaine, and resisting arrest, among others. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Benedict College Police Department as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state, and local initiative aimed at reducing violent crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes handled the case, which was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy launched in 2001. U.S. Attorney Sherri A. Lydon praised the efforts of law enforcement agencies involved in the case.

Chief U.S. District Judge Terry L. Wooten imposed the 15-year sentence on Marsh after determining that he was an armed career criminal based on his extensive prior record. The judge noted that Marsh’s actions posed a significant risk to public safety and that a lengthy prison sentence was necessary to protect the community.

The sentence is a result of the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to reduce violent crime in the community. Project CeaseFire and PSN aim to aggressively prosecute firearm cases and make neighborhoods safer. U.S. Attorney Lydon stated that the sentence sends a clear message that possession of firearms by felons will not be tolerated.

Marsh’s prior state convictions include: unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of crack cocaine, resisting arrest/assault on an officer while resisting arrest, failure to stop for blue light and siren (three separate convictions), possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine (two separate convictions), possession with intent to distribute marijuana within the proximity of a park, possession with intent to distribute marijuana (second offense) (two separate convictions), trafficking crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine within proximity of a park, and possession with intent to distribute ecstasy (second offense).

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