A Windsor man has been sentenced to over 15 years in a U.S. prison on drug trafficking and weapon charges.
John Francis was sentenced in a federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, on March 27 on one count of possession with intent to distribute MDMA and one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
The 23-year-old Francis was sentenced to 181 months after being found guilty by a federal jury on Nov. 13, 2024.
The sentence stems from an incident on March 4, 2023, when a Saline County Sheriff's Deputy performing patrol and drug interdiction duties on I-80 westbound attempted a traffic stop of a 2023 Chevy Tahoe.
Instead, the Tahoe accelerated, resulting in a 30-minute pursuit over three counties for approximately 50 miles (80 kilometres), at sustained speeds of more than 100 mph (160 km/h).
Officers from six different departments were called in to assist and had to deploy three sets of spike strips before the Tahoe eventually came to a stop.
The driver and only occupant of the vehicle was eventually identified as John Francis, although another person's Canadian driver's license was found in the Tahoe.
A loaded handgun was discovered in the cupholder and a duffle bag on the passenger seat, containing 6.65 pounds of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) in crystalline form.
Officers also found more than $6,000.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nebraska, there is no parole in the federal system, and after Francis's release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
