Evansville man sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on several charges

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - An Evansville man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth and illegally possessing a gun.

According to court documents, back in July of 2020, officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United States Postal Service (USPIS) opened an investigation on 29-year-old Deariel Simmons.

Officials say this follows after authorities intercepted a package sent from California that had two kilograms of meth hidden inside of a paint can. The package was delivered to an Evansville address where Simmons was seen picking it up in a car.

Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s deputies say when they pulled Simmons over, he fled the scene and led deputies on a chase.

They say Simmons eventually threw the package out of the window, then jumped out and ran away. After a brief foot chase, deputies lost Simmons.

According to a release, dash cam footage showed Simmons later returning to his vehicle and leaving the scene.

Simmons was later found and arrested.

In Oct. of 2020, law enforcement says they executed a search warrant at Simmons’ home. Officers seized five digital scales, a plastic bag containing 17.6 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, an electronic money counter, a body armor vest, four loaded firearms, and ammunition.

According to officials, Simmons is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his previous felony robbery conviction in Vanderburgh County.