Armed Bloomington Man Sentenced to 81 Months in Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm While on Supervised Release for 2013 Bank Robbery
INDIANAPOLIS – John Lee Adams, III., 32, of Bloomington, was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and admitting to violating the terms of his federal supervised release.
According to court documents, on August 12, 2021, Bloomington Police Department officers initiated a traffic stop on a Chevy Malibu for multiple traffic violations. John Lee Adams III was identified as the driver. When asked to step out of the vehicle, Adams fled the scene at a high rate of speed and lead BPD officers on a brief pursuit that concluded when Adams exited the vehicle and fled into a patch of woods on foot.
Adams was taken into custody without incident. Upon further investigation, officers located approximately 3.2 grams of cocaine on Adams’ person and a loaded semiautomatic handgun in his bag. At the time of the arrest, Adams was on federal supervised release after serving a sentence of 104 months in prison for armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
“Armed, violent criminals pose a serious danger to our communities,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “We will work closely with our local and federal law enforcement partners, including ATF and the Bloomington Police Department, to protect the public and reduce gun violence. The sentence imposed here shows that violent criminals who continue to illegally arm themselves will be held accountable.”
“ATF is committed to combating gun violence in our communities,” said Daryl S. McCormick, ATF Special Agent in Charge for the Columbus Field Division. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners in Bloomington and throughout Indiana and Ohio to make our communities safer.”
ATF and the Bloomington Police Department investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon ordered that Adams be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick G. Gibson who prosecuted this 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
