Valdosta career criminal sentenced on gun charges

ALBANY — A Valdosta resident with a lengthy criminal history in the community was sentenced to prison this week for illegally possessing firearms as he led police on a high-speed chase in an effort to escape arrest.

Kendrick Terrell Pryor, 41, was sentenced to serve 165 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Sands after Pryor previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Pryor is not eligible for parole.

“The defendant reached speeds of 120 miles per hour and drove through a residential section of Valdosta without regard for the safety of others as he attempted to outrun law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “Felons who consistently demonstrate a total disregard for the law and are found in possession of deadly weapons will find their cases getting federal attention. Our office is working alongside local, state and federal law enforcement to hold repeat offenders accountable.”

“Convicted felons cannot possess guns and will face serious consequences for having them,” Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka said. “This sentencing ensures that Kendrick Pryor is held accountable for his crime and is removed from the community for a long time, where he will not be able to harm others.”

According to facts presented in court, deputies with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office attempted to pull Pryor over for suspected impaired driving in Valdosta on July 3, 2022. Pryor refused to pull over and a pursuit ensued. Pryor drove his car at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour — including through a residential section — and ran stop signs and red lights in an attempt to escape the deputy.

Law enforcement was forced to perform a successful PIT (precision immobilization technique) Maneuver to stop the car, and Pryor was taken into custody. Inside Pryor’s car, officers found a .22 caliber firearm on the driver’s floorboard; a 9mm handgun on the passenger’s floorboard; a 50-round drum magazine for a 9mm firearm; and a quantity of methamphetamine, oxycodone pills and cocaine. Pryor has at least six drug possession and distribution felony convictions in Lowndes County Superior Court as well as one conviction for theft by taking. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.

This case was investigated by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Daniels prosecuted the case for the government.

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