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Jackson, Miss – Justin Darby, 37, of Jackson, entered a guilty plea yesterday before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate, to one count of carjacking and one count of using a firearm to facilitate the carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On December 11, 2017, in Hinds County, officers with the Jackson Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of Lynch St. and Highway 80 in Jackson. Justin Darby had crashed into the rear of another vehicle at the intersection, forced the driver of that vehicle out of her car and fled the scene. He was carrying a military style rifle when he carjacked the vehicle. He later abandoned the vehicle and was subsequently arrested.
Darby will be sentenced by Judge Wingate on May 13, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for carjacking, and a minimum penalty of not less than 7 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for using a firearm to facilitate the carjacking. The sentences would run consecutively.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lynn Murray and Bert Carraway.
This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
