GA man pleads guilty after crashing into fire station, being found with stolen gun, drugs

A Georgia man who crashed his car into a fire station and was found with a stolen pistol, high-capacity magazine and illegal drugs has pleaded guilty.

Joseph Harold Taylor, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

He faces a minimum of five years up to a maximum of life in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

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According to court documents, Taylor crashed the car he was driving into Fire Station 11 in Columbus, Georgia on March 15, 2023, just before 2 a.m.

Taylor was uninjured and was alone in his car at the time of the crash.

In addition to hitting the fire station, he also crashed into one of the department employee’s trucks.

Officers saw what appeared to be a bullet hole in his car and smelled marijuana coming from it.

They found a stolen 9mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended 21-round magazine attached to the front floorboard of the driver’s side.

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They also found a satchel inside the car containing cocaine and suspected marijuana, plus other commonly used drug distribution items.

Taylor has two previous state felony drug convictions.

His sentencing date has not yet been announced.

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