Federal Jury Convicts Simpsonville Man of Possessing Over 500 Grams or More of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute - Faces Life Sentence in Federal Prison

Greenville, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Larry Anthony Ladson, Jr., 29 years old, of Simpsonville, South Carolina, was convicted of possessing 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute after a two-day jury trial in Spartanburg.  The 12-person jury unanimously found Ladson guilty following the conclusion of the trial.  Given his prior criminal history, Ladson likely faces life imprisonment. 

The evidence presented at trial showed that Ladson was hiding in a bathtub when officers with the Fountain Inn Police Department were performing a protective sweep of the residence located in Simpsonville, South Carolina.  Law enforcement originally arrived on scene after receiving a report of a domestic incident involving a firearm.  After initially detaining three other individuals who were connected with the location, officers were clearing the residence when they discovered Ladson fully clothed in the bathtub with the lights off at approximately 2:45 p.m.  In the adjacent bedroom, law enforcement found Ladson’s driver’s license along with other identifying documents, in addition to a digital scale and clear plastic baggies used for drug packaging in plain view.  Upon obtaining a search warrant, a further search of the bedroom revealed over 1,000 grams of methamphetamine packaged in 19 separate bags, which were concealed in a backpack and hidden under layers of Ladson’s clothes in his closet.  The majority of the bags contained approximately 56 grams of the clear, crystal substance and were packaged for distribution in two-ounce quantities.

At the time of the incident, Ladson already had a warrant out for his arrest from a federal firearms violation occurring in October 2017.  Ladson was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on the methamphetamine charge and has been in continuous custody since his March arrest.  Prior to the incident, Ladson had numerous state convictions, to include: possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (2014); possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (2014); two convictions for possession with intent to distribute marijuana (2014); burglary in the second degree, violent; criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature (2013); and assault and battery in the first degree (2013).

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Fountain Inn Police Department and prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project CeaseFire initiative. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Reinstituting PSN nationwide in October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority, and this case is another example of the positive effect his renewed focus is having on our communities in South Carolina. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Holloway and Jeanne Howard, both of whom are prosecutors assigned to the violent crime section of the United States Attorney’s Office. 

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