Sep 25, 2020

Lexington man gets prison for possession ammunition

Posted Sep 25, 2020 2:35 AM

OMAHA-United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Angel Merida Herrera, 29, of Lexington, Nebraska, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison by United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher for being a felon in possession of ammunition. There is no parole in the federal system. Upon his release from prison, he will serve three years of supervised release.

On January 27, 2020, law enforcement was dispatched to a residence in Lexington for an unknown 911 call.  Upon arrival, Herrera walked toward officers.  One of the officers recognized Herrera and knew from past contact with Herrera that he could possibly be carrying a weapon.  After a frisk, law enforcement located a knife in his front jeans pocket.  Officers asked for consent to search and Herrera consented.  Officers found one 9mm bullet in his pocket.  Officers confirmed through his criminal history that he was a felon.  They then applied for and received a search warrant for a room at the Super 8 that Herrera rented.  Herrera had the room rented from January 17 through January 28, 2020.  In the room, law enforcement seized another seven rounds of Luger 9mm ammunition.  Herrera is a felon for possession of controlled substance from Dawson County in 2014.  

This case was brought as part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Lexington Police Department.