Owensboro Felon Donte Washington Charged in Fentanyl Trafficking, Gun Offenses

A federal grand jury in Bowling Green has returned an indictment charging Owensboro resident Donte Monzel Washington, 31, with possessing a fentanyl mixture with the intent to distribute it, possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The indictment, returned on February 14, 2024, alleges that on September 6, 2023, in Daviess County, Kentucky, Washington possessed with the intent to distribute a fentanyl mixture, possessed a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possessed a firearm as a convicted felon.

According to the indictment, Washington was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of felony offenses, including trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, first offense, and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun.

Washington’s prior convictions include an April 5, 2012, conviction in Daviess Circuit Court for trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, first offense (< 4 grams cocaine), and an October 31, 2013, conviction in Daviess Circuit Court for trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, first offense (>= 4 grams cocaine).

Additionally, Washington was convicted on January 17, 2018, in Daviess Circuit Court of being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun.

Washington made an initial court appearance last week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The Court ordered the defendant detained pending trial.

If convicted, Washington faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being investigated by the DEA Evansville Resident Office with assistance from the ATF, KSP, and Owensboro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Nicholas Rabold, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, is prosecuting this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.