Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

INDIANAPOLIS – Santana Kendall, 30, of Indianapolis, was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, on August 11, 2021, Kendall led police on a high-speed chase after police attempted to stop him for speeding. Kendall ran a red light, drove on the wrong side of traffic, and ran several stop signs during the chase. After evading police, Kendall parked the vehicle at a residence and fled on foot. Kendall discarded a backpack he was carrying, which was later recovered by police. The backpack contained a loaded firearm, sizeable amounts of methamphetamine, heroin, crack cocaine, oxycontin pills, syringes, marijuana, a digital scale, and $5,517 in U.S. currency. Kendall was later found by police and arrested. Kendall admitted in his guilty plea that he possessed the controlled substances with the intent to distribute them and possessed the gun in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities. Under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Kendall is a career offender as a result of his multiple prior felony drug-dealing convictions.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division, made the announcement.

ATF investigated the case. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department also provided valuable assistance. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James Patrick Hanlon following Kendall’s guilty plea. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon also ordered that Kendall be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for five years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Blackett who is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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