LEXINGTON, Ky. — A 23-year-old Lexington man on probation for prior drug trafficking convictions is facing a new federal charge after police say they found him with a loaded handgun, drugs and paraphernalia during a late-night patrol downtown last weekend.
(US District Court)
According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, Marvon Bond was arrested early Saturday morning after Lexington police officers on foot patrol said they spotted pre-packaged marijuana in plain view inside a red sedan parked in a public lot near downtown bars. The vehicle was registered to Bond, who state corrections records show is on probation through September 2028 for felony drug offenses in Fayette and Scott counties.
Officers maintained surveillance until Bond and another man returned to the car, an ATF affidavit states. Investigators said Bond was seen leaning into the driver’s side and reaching toward the floorboard before standing up and adjusting the front of his pants. When officers approached, they searched the vehicle and found two small black bags containing THC products, a digital scale, and a prescription bottle of alprazolam prescribed to someone else.
Police said a probable cause search of Bond revealed a loaded Beretta APX 9mm pistol tucked into his waistband, along with a small amount of suspected cocaine. When asked by an officer if he had a gun, Bond allegedly replied, “Yes sir,” and confirmed it was loaded. ATF agents later determined the pistol had been manufactured outside Kentucky, meeting the federal requirement for interstate commerce in a felon-in-possession case.
Bond is barred from possessing firearms because of a 2023 conviction for first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance in Scott County, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison, and a separate 2023 conviction in Fayette County for fentanyl possession. He also has prior convictions for methamphetamine possession and possessing drug paraphernalia.
The new federal charge — possession of a firearm by a convicted felon — carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Bond is being held at the Fayette County Detention Center pending further proceedings in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew A. Stinnett.
Bond is also facing state charges in connection with the controlled substances recovered during the arrest.
