Columbus man pleads guilty to gun, drug charges

ALBANY – A Columbus resident with prior felony drug convictions who crashed his car into a fire station and was subsequently found to have a stolen pistol with a high-capacity magazine and illegal drugs entered a guilty plea in federal court.

Joseph Harold Taylor, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime before U.S. District Judge Clay Land. Taylor is facing a minimum of five years up to a maximum of life imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The sentencing date will be determined by the court. There is no parole in the federal system.

“It is fortunate that that no one was injured when the defendant crashed his car into a fire station, and that police were able to remove a stolen firearm with a high-capacity magazine from the streets of Columbus,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “We are committed to keeping our communities safe and upholding federal law, especially when it pertains to offenders caught with stolen assault weapons.”

“Criminals must understand that there are serious repercussions for the illegal possession of firearms and that ATF and our law enforcement partners will contribute all necessary time and effort to ensure criminals are brought to justice,” ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka said.

According to court documents and statements referenced in court, shortly before 2 a.m. on March 15, 2023, Taylor crashed the car he was driving into Fire Station 11 on Warm Springs Road in Columbus. Columbus Police Department officers were called to the single-vehicle crash and found that Taylor — who was uninjured in the crash and was the sole occupant of the sedan — had left the roadway, crashed into the fire station and hit a truck belonging to an employee of the fire department.

The officers observed what appeared to be a bullet hole in the vehicle and noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the car. Officers found a stolen 9mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended 21-round magazine attached on the front floorboard of the driver’s side. A satchel was found inside the car containing cocaine and suspected marijuana, as well as other commonly used drug distribution items. Taylor has two prior state felony drug convictions.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer.

This case was investigated by ATF and the Columbus Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the government.

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