Richland County Man Sentenced to 10 years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Gun, Ammo

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Jacob Lloyd Lower, 31, of Richland County, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on April 25, 2022, officers with Irmo Police Department responded to a single vehicle collision. On the way, officers received an update that the driver of the vehicle was physically assaulting a passerby who stopped to help him. There was also a report that the driver was attempting to steal a second vehicle.

When law enforcement arrived, a witness told the officers that the individual wearing a bloody white shirt, later identified as Lower, ran into the woods. As officers searched for Lower, they were then notified that Lower attempted to steal a truck in a nearby parking lot but was unsuccessful and continued to run. A Richland County Sheriff's Department K-9 arrived on scene and led law enforcement to an area in the woods where they found a white shirt with blood on it. Lower was located nearby and arrested. During his arrest, Lower was found with several types of drugs and a .22 caliber pistol along with 300 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition.

Lower is prohibited from possessing a firearm and/or ammunition based upon convictions for criminal conspiracy, burglary second, grand larceny, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Lower to 120 months' imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.

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.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Irmo Police Department, and Richland County Sheriff's Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon prosecuted the case.

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