A Michigan man received a prison sentence Thursday on federal drug and firearm charges, prosecutors said.
Antonio Shelby Jr., 33, of Detroit was sentenced to 12 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
A jury found Shelby guilty on Aug. 19 of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, prosecutors said.
Authorities arrested Shelby on Jan. 10, 2024, after officers detected the smell of marijuana during a traffic stop in Institute. When officers informed him they would search the vehicle, Shelby fled, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph on West Virginia Route 25 and Interstate 64, according to prosecutors.
Shelby crashed while attempting to exit I-64 in South Charleston, where officers took him into custody. Police said they found a loaded pistol after lifting him from the ground. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered more than 60 grams of methamphetamine packaged in multiple bags, over 100 grams of fentanyl, marijuana, digital scales and nearly $2,500 in cash.
“This defendant possessed and transported distribution-level quantities of lethal drugs into our community while armed,” U.S. Attorney Moore Capito said in the release. “He doubled down on his disregard for our people and their safety by fleeing from law enforcement, creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death to the public and responding officers. We are unrelenting in our commitment to attacking the drug crisis with the utmost toughness.”
Prosecutors noted that Shelby has prior convictions for fleeing from a police officer and reckless driving causing serious impairment of a body function.
Shelby is currently being held at the South Central Regional Jail.