Date: 05-06-2015

Case Style: United States of America v. Jonathon Luke Holder

Case Number: 5:15-cr-00002-RS

Judge: Richard Smoak

Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida (Bay County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Gayle E. Littleton

Defendant's Attorney: Jean Marie Downing

Description: PANAMA CITY, FL – Jonathon Luke Holder, 23, of Panama City Beach, was sentenced to 7 years and 8 months in federal prison by United States District Judge Richard Smoak for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. The sentence was announced by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Holder admitted that, on January 7, 2015, he travelled from Bay County, Florida, to the Atlanta, Georgia, area to purchase methamphetamine that he intended to distribute. When Holder left Bay County to travel to the Atlanta area, he took with him a loaded Ruger 9mm pistol for his protection and for the protection of his drug-trafficking activities.

Holder returned to the Bay County area early the next morning. Holder was arrested as he exited the vehicle he was driving with a small Sentry safe. Inside the safe, Holder had approximately 1010 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and the pistol.

This was Holder’s third trip to the Atlanta area to purchase methamphetamine for distribution in the Bay County area. In the first trip, Holder purchased and distributed one pound of methamphetamine, and in the second trip, Holder purchased and distributed two pounds of methamphetamine.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gayle E. Littleton.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Outcome: Local Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking Offenses

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