By Christine O’Connor –

On Wednesday, Lavon Pemberton, 34, of Springfield pleaded guilty in federal court in Worcester to one count of being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

In May 2020, Pemberton was observed driving approximately 100 miles per hour on the Massachusetts Turnpike. During a subsequent traffic stop, law enforcement smelled an overwhelming odor of marijuana in the vehicle and marijuana paraphernalia was visible in the passenger compartment as well as the glove box.

Pemberton was also found in possession of .8 grams of cocaine and .15 grams of methamphetamine in three individually wrapped baggies.

When law enforcement approached Pemberton to arrest him, Pemberton ran and tried to climb over a guardrail at a nearby overpass but was immediately apprehended.

A search of Pemberton’s vehicle resulted in the recovery of a loaded Ruger SR9 firearm containing 17 rounds of ammunition – eight 9MM hollow point rounds and eight 9MM full metal jacket rounds with one in the firing chamber – as well as 120 grams of marijuana and $5,720 in cash.

At the time of the stop, Pemberton was on supervised release due to a previous federal firearms conviction.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled Pemberton to sentenced on June 9, 2022.