COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia announced guilty pleas out of Columbus in two separate Project Safe Neighborhood cases, one involving armed meth trafficking and the other charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 42-year-old Jason Selph from Georgetown, Georgia, pled guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine on Tuesday. Selph is facing five to 40 years in prison along with at least four years of supervised release and a $5 million fine. Selph’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 24, 2024.

27-year-old Corneilous Hixson pled guilty to illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Tuesday and faces up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Hixson’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 19.

Court records in Hixson’s case allege the defendant was pulled over for a traffic violation on Aug. 25, 2022, and law enforcement smelled marijuana, which led to a search of his car. During the search, officers discovered a firearm under Hixson’s front passenger seat along with a straw containing cocaine residue.

Hixson attempted to flee on foot, but after a brief chase, officers apprehended and arrested him. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Hixson also has separate felony convictions in Muscogee County Superior Court for First-degree burglary, influencing a witness, second-degree criminal damage to property, and felon in possession of a firearm.