Midlands man sentenced to 7 years in prison on federal gun, drug convictions

An Orangeburg man was sent to prison after being convicted of possessing drugs and a firearm that had a “machine gun conversion device” on it.

Orangeburg’s Chad Lavell Williams Jr., 30, was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to a late Friday release from the office of U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs.

In Feb. 2023, officers with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety conducted a traffic stop on a car with a defective taillight, the release said. Williams was in the car and reportedly gave officers a fake name. After a police drug-detecting dog alerted on the car, officers reportedly searched it and found a Glock 22 pistol that was equipped with an extended ammo magazine and a machine gun conversion device, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. Commonly known as “Glock switches,” the conversion devices allow pistols to function like machine guns.

Along with the gun, officers reportedly found bags of methamphetamine intended for distribution, the release said.

Williams was prohibited from carrying a gun because of previous convictions for strong arm robbery, grand larceny and burglary.

Aside from local police, the case also was investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.