HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – A federal grand jury in Bowling green returned an indictment on May 10 charging a convicted felon in Morganfield with illegal possession of a firearm and methamphetamine trafficking.
According to the indictment, James Harris Jr, 56, possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on August 19, 2022. Court documents also say Harris possessed a 9mm semiautomatic pistol at the time. Harris was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a 2004 felony conviction of possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams to 2 kilograms of powder cocaine within 1000 feet of public housing, being an unlawful user of a controlled substance and knowingly possessing a firearm.
Harris made his initial appearance last week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
