COLUMBIA – Jamel Lamont Lewis, 35, of Columbia, was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition.
According to the United States Attorney’s office, evidence presented to the court showed that in December 2020, Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call of gunshots in the Ridgeway area of Fairfield County.
As deputies approached, Lewis and another man were firing shots. Deputies found 90 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition in Lewis’s pants pocket along with a quantity of crack cocaine.
Lewis, whose address was in Winnsboro at the time, was charged with Resisting Arrest, Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition by person convicted of violent felony, and two counts of Distribution of cocaine base.
In July 2021, investigators with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department stopped a car that Lewis was riding in. During the stop, Lewis had to be restrained after he reached for a loaded .22 caliber pistol hidden in his waistband. Lewis also had approximately 65 grams of methamphetamine on him. The pistol was equipped with a large-capacity ammunition magazine.
Former Fairfield County Arrests
In 2007 and 2009, Lewis was convicted of aggravated assault for shooting two different victims. In 2011, Lewis was convicted of assault and battery, first degree, after being involved in a drive-by shooting. He was residing in Ridgeway at the time of the arrests.
In 2018 while living in Winnsboro, Lewis was convicted of failure to stop for a blue light and unlawful possession of a firearm after leading police on a vehicle chase and ultimately losing control of the vehicle and tossing a firearm while fleeing on foot.
Sentencing
Lewis is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to previous felony convictions.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Lewis to 85 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
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 neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Taylor is prosecuting the case.