Lyft Driver With Pending Warrant Indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon Following Car Crash
INDIANAPOLIS – A federal grand jury in Indianapolis returned an indictment late yesterday charging Terrance Clarke, 34, of Athens, Georgia, with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on October 3, 2021, Clarke was working as a Lyft driver and picked up a customer in Fishers, Indiana. While enroute to the customer’s destination, Clarke drove onto the roundabout at 131st Street and Cumberland Road and collided with another vehicle. Both vehicles pulled off to the side of the road. Clarke exited his vehicle and removed a bag from the front passenger seat, placing it in the trunk. Clarke then removed a second bag from under the front passenger seat, also placing it in the trunk. Officers from the Fishers Police Department responded to the accident scene.
Officers ran a check of Clarke’s driver’s license and discovered that he had an active and extraditable warrant out of Georgia for attempted armed robbery and aggravated assault. Clark was taken into custody and placed under arrest.
During a search of the car, officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson 40 caliber handgun in a backpack. An additional loaded magazine and a small plastic bag containing marijuana were also located in this backpack.
In April of 2017, Clarke was convicted of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense in federal court in Georgia and is prohibited from legally possessing firearms.
Clarke is currently in custody of the U.S. Marshal. If convicted, he faces up to ten years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
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 is investigating the case. The Fishers Police Department also provided valuable assistance.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick G. Gibson who is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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