Source: Office of United States Attorneys
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing of a Montgomery, Alabama man following federal drug and gun convictions. On February 5, 2025, a federal judge sentenced 37-year-old Richard Eugene Moore, Jr., to 180 months in prison. In addition, the judge ordered that Moore serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, on September 20, 2023, an Alabama state trooper attempted to stop a vehicle in the city of Montgomery after observing a traffic violation. Inside the vehicle was a male driver, two female passengers, and a toddler. The driver, later identified as Moore, refused to stop. A pursuit ensued and the trooper observed Moore throwing objects out of the driver-side window. Moore continued to flee through a residential area, often driving at a high rate of speed. The pursuit ended when Moore ran a stop sign and struck an unmarked police car. Moore then attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended just a few feet from the vehicle. All four occupants of the vehicle, including the toddler, sustained minor injuries. The police officer in the unmarked vehicle sustained more serious injuries and was hospitalized for several days.
Investigators recovered the items discarded by Moore during the pursuit. The items included a Glock handgun and a backpack. Moore has prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Inside the backpack, investigators found several bags of suspected marijuana and a digital scale. Laboratory analysis confirmed the substance in the bags to be marijuana.
On September 16, 2024, Moore pleaded guilty to possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute the illegal drug and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Moore also enter a plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“On a weekday afternoon, Moore led law enforcement on a high-speed chase through the streets of Montgomery when school traffic was at its peak,” said Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “This type of reckless behavior cannot be tolerated. The 15-year sentence ordered by the judge was completely justified due to Moore’s total disregard for the safety of everyone on the road that day, including law enforcement and his passengers.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and Montgomery Police Department investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorney Brandon W. Bates prosecuted.