William Joshua Stowe, 27, of Madison, Georgia, is headed to federal prison for 70 months after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence, handed down March 7, 2018, by Senior U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal in Athens, Georgia, shuts down a local hub of drug activity tied to repeat violent crime offenders.
The bust went down on December 14, 2016, when Morgan County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at Stowe’s Madison residence. Acting on a controlled buy by a confidential source, officers seized 6 grams of heroin, two shotguns, a rifle, a 9mm pistol, and a cache of drug paraphernalia. The weapons were loaded. Stowe, already a two-time convicted felon for burglary and felony theft, was not legally allowed to possess any firearm — let alone an arsenal.
Stowe admitted in his plea agreement that he was actively dealing heroin from his home. The buy that triggered the raid was just one transaction in what investigators believe was an ongoing operation. Federal prosecutors emphasized the danger of combining narcotics trafficking with illegal firearms, calling the combo a flashpoint for escalating violence in rural Georgia communities.
His half-brother, Edward Vance Tallon, was arrested during the same raid and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Tallon has since pled guilty, with sentencing scheduled for April 11, 2018. Authorities say the two operated in tandem, leveraging their criminal histories to supply drugs and maintain control through intimidation.
The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the DOJ’s nationwide initiative to dismantle violent crime networks. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who reinvigorated the program in October 2017, has directed U.S. attorneys to prioritize prosecutions that target repeat offenders armed with narcotics and guns. Middle District U.S. Attorney Charles E. Peeler called the sentence a warning: “Guns and drugs are a recurring theme in our local communities and in our nation. It is the goal of my office to make substantial penitentiary sentences for those who deal in these items a recurring part of that theme as well.”
Investigation was led by the Morgan, Jasper, and Putnam County Sheriff’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary handled prosecution. No parole in the federal system means Stowe will serve at least 85% of his sentence. Questions should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, at (478) 621-2603.
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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