Hopkinsville Felon Indicted by Federal Grand Jury For Distributing Cocaine and Illegally Possessing Firearm

Paducah, KY – A federal grand jury in Paducah returned an indictment on March 11, 2025, charging a Hopkinsville, Kentucky man with distributing cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Jason Newby of the Hopkinsville Police Department made the announcement.

According to the indictment, DeMarcus McCarley, 41, was charged with distributing a cocaine mixture and being a felon in possession of a firearm. On May 15, 2024, McCarley, possessed a Glock, model 22 Gen. 4, .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun. McCarley is prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

On or about August 4, 2010, in Christian Circuit Court, McCarley was convicted of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, cocaine.

On or about December 15, 2009, in Christian Circuit Court, McCarley was convicted on 2 counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, cocaine.

On or about January 15, 2015, in Christian Circuit Court, McCarley was convicted on 4 counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, cocaine, less than four grams.

The defendant made his initial court appearance this week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The Court ordered the defendant detained pending trial. If convicted, McCarley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system.   

This case is being investigated by the DEA Paducah Post of Duty Office, ATF Bowling Green Field Office, and the Hopkinsville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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