Desmond Woods, a 43-year-old man from Memphis, has been hit with a heavy sentence for multiple firearm and drug offenses. The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee relayed that Woods received over 17 years in federal prison following his conviction on a series of serious charges, including possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, and illegal firearm possession as a previously convicted felon.
The history of Woods' criminal activities came to light through a sequence of troubling events. In October 2020, his first brush with the law occurred when security guards apprehended him for loitering at a local apartment complex. Their search turned up a Glock 22 caliber pistol and cocaine, landing Woods in the custody of the MPD. In July 2021, history seemed to almost repeat itself at a different complex where Woods, again stopped for loitering, attempted to flee before security guards detained him and found more weapons and drugs.
According to the Justice Department's press release, Woods' run-ins with the law escalated to his final offense in June 2022, when police, responding to an urgent call, found him in possession of a rifle — a serious violation given Woods was already a convicted felon. In March 2024, Woods entered a guilty plea across multiple counts which included gun possession during the commission of a felony.
As a result of these convictions, United States Chief District Court Judge John T. Fowlkes sentenced Woods on July 18, 2024, to 207 months of federal time, followed by three years of supervised freedom, with no chance of parole, which is non-existent in the federal system. This case is a high point for Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a collaborative law enforcement initiative that aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence, thus striving to make neighborhoods safer.
Kevin G. Ritz, the U.S. Attorney overseeing this case, extended gratitude to Assistant United States Attorney Jermal Blanchard for his prosecution efforts and acknowledged the assistive role of law enforcement partners, namely the PSN Gun Task Force and the MPD. Launched in May 2021, the PSN's revamped violent crime reduction strategy places focus on cultivating community trust, backing organizations that prevent violence proactively, setting strategic enforcement goals, and measuring the outcomes to gauge success in crime reduction.
