Midlands man sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal firearm charge

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A Cayce man has been sentenced to 6.4 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a felony firearm charge.

Officials with the Attorney’s Office of South Carolina say an investigation revealed 35-year-old Ernest “Marcus Mack” Mack tried to run from police and officers found a handgun during the chase.

Investigators said on July 26, 2019, a trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol made a lawful traffic stop at St. Andrews Road in Columbia on a car Mack was driving, The trooper recognized the vehicle as a car he attempted to stop a week earlier.

After a short chase, Mack pulled into a nearby apartment complex, where he stopped the car, and ran on foot according to detectives.

Officers then found Mack in a nearby apartment complex breezeway and saw him with a handgun. Mack then threw the handgun toward an officer.

Mack told officers he fled from troopers because he had the handgun in the car. A further investigation revealed the handgun was stolen in Spartanburg County said officials.

Detectives said Mack was already on state probation at the time of the offense and has prior state convictions for trafficking cocaine (two separate convictions) forgery, possession of a controlled substance, failure to stop for blue light and siren, and two separate convictions of 1st-degree criminal domestic violence. Mack is currently serving a 7-year sentence for 1st-degree criminal domestic violence.

Mack plead guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Mack to 77 months in prison, followed by a 3-year term of court-ordered supervision.

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