Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

LONDON, Ky., — Timothy Lawson, 31, of Manchester, Ky., was sentenced today, to  32 years in federal prison, by United States District Judge Claria Horn Boom, on counts of brandishing and discharging a firearm during a carjacking.

Lawson entered a guilty plea to the charges in November of last year.  According to the plea agreement, on July 21, 2016, Lawson unlawfully entered the residence and waited on the homeowner to return.  When the homeowner arrived, Lawson met her, brandished a stolen shotgun, and threatened to kill her if she did not give him the keys to her vehicle.  The homeowner complied and Lawson drove off in her vehicle.  A short time later, Lawson wrecked the stolen vehicle and a family who saw the wreck and stopped to render assistance.  Lawson then approached their vehicle, and again brandished the shotgun.  Lawson also discharged the shotgun, firing a shot over the top of the family’s vehicle.  Lawson ordered the family out of the vehicle, which he then stole.  Lawson subsequently fled from the police and was arrested several days later.   

Under federal law, Lawson must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence; and upon his release, he will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for three years.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Stuart Lowrey, Special Agent In-Charge of the ATF; Richard Sanders, Commissioner of the Kentucky States Police; Chris Fultz, Chief of the Manchester Police Department; Kelly Shouse, Owsley County Sheriff; and Kevin Johnson, Clay County Sheriff, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF, the Kentucky State Police, the Manchester Police Department, the Owsley County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. The government was represented by Assistant United States Attorney W. Samuel Dotson.

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. Attorney General Jeff Sessions 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.