Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Federal Drug and Firearm Charges

RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that in federal court yesterday, United States District Judge James C. Dever, III sentenced HOWARD DAVIS, 41, of Holly Springs, North Carolina, to 420 months’ imprisonment, followed by an 8 year term of supervised released.

On June 7, 2017, DAVIS was named in an Indictment in which he was charged with possession with the intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack), and a quantity of cocaine, both Schedule II controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  On September 11, 2018, DAVIS was convicted in federal court following a day and a half jury trial.

On March 1, 2017, Holly Springs Police officers pulled DAVIS over for a window tint violation and while the officer was verifying DAVIS’s information, he fled the scene.  This resulted in a high-speed chase within a residential neighborhood until DAVIS exited his car and fled on foot into a swamp.  The investigation resulted in the seizure of over 28 grams of cocaine base (crack) and 178 grams of cocaine, $67,288.00 and a firearm.   This was DAVIS’s third federal conviction.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

That effort has been implemented through the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.  For more information about this initiative click here:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Holly Springs Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).  Assistant United States Attorneys Gabriel Diaz and Jason Kellhofer prosecuted the case for the government.