Nashville man sentenced to 25 in federal prison for Knox trafficking, other charges

A Nashville man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison Tuesday for various charges in Knox County, including drug trafficking.

Marlon Jermaine Johnson, 39, was sentenced to 25 years by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom on charges of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

On Nov. 18, 2019, Johnson led law enforcement officers with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department on a high-speed chase, through residential streets in Corbin, before crashing into a gate and a parked car.  Johnson then fled on foot into a cemetery, where he was ultimately apprehended.  During a search of his vehicle, law enforcement located more than a kilogram of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm, according to evidence presented at trial.

Johnson was convicted in connection to the incident in U.S. District Court in July.

Under federal law, Johnson must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  He will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years after his release from prison.

Johnson is currently being held in the Laurel County Correctional Facility, where he has been jailed since March 2021.

The case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program, which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities.  It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts.