A St. Joseph, Mo., man who was struck by a vehicle as he fled on foot from law enforcement officers across a highway, pleaded guilty in federal court to his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to illegally possessing firearms.
Jeremy D. Marshall, 35, of St. Joseph, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Marshall was arrested on Feb. 7, 2016, when an investigator with the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force saw him driving a black Harley Davidson motorcycle. Marshall turned off Riverside Road in St. Joseph into the entrance of Chapel Ridge Apartments. The investigator knew that Marshall had a revoked driver’s license, and so followed him until he parked the motorcycle.
As soon as Marshall stopped, the investigator activated his emergency lights and pulled his vehicle in front of Marshall. As the investigator got out of his vehicle, Marshall put the motorcycle in gear and accelerated rapidly over the curb to get around the investigator’s vehicle. Marshall drove the motorcycle over a curb and into a cornfield on the east side of the Chapel Ridge Apartments. Marshall headed north through the field toward U.S. 36 Highway, but as he drove down an embankment his motorcycle got stuck in the mud. The motorcycle fell over and Marshall fell off of it.
Marshall jumped up and took off running as the investigator approached in his vehicle. The investigator got out of his vehicle and began pursuing Marshall on foot. Marshall ran onto the highway and a truck struck him. Marshall hit the front right passenger side of the vehicle, which knocked him to the ground. The investigator grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him across the highway to the shoulder so he would not be struck by oncoming vehicles. Marshall was conscious and complained of pain on the right side of his body. The investigator called an ambulance then searched Marshall; he found a Browning Arms Company .22-caliber pistol in a holster in the small of Marshall’s back. Marshall was also in possession of a small baggie that contained 1.47 grams of methamphetamine and a plastic baggie that contained 52 rounds of ammunition, $175 and drug paraphernalia.
Marshall had been arrested approximately two years earlier, on Feb. 13, 2014, when investigators with the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force stopped his vehicle, a gold Ford Expedition, for a traffic violation. Investigators smelled an odor of burnt marijuana and searched Marshall and his vehicle. Investigators found four unused syringes in Marshall’s left sock and a loaded Smith and Wesson .45-caliber handgun under the driver’s seat of his vehicle. They also found an eyeglass case in the center console of the vehicle, which contained a Ziploc bag with 2.6 grams of methamphetamine. Next to the eyeglass case were digital scales with methamphetamine residue.
Marshall told investigators he purchased methamphetamine for $700 per ounce and distributed it to others. Marshall said he had been dealing for approximately two and a half years; when business was good he purchased a half-ounce of methamphetamine three times per day.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Marshall has prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, forgery, and theft/stealing.
Under federal statutes, Marshall is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
