SC man with AK-style rifle and backpack full of drugs led chase, prosecutor says

A South Carolina man with a previous criminal record is going to federal prison after being convicted on gun-related charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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De’Marionne Zaquann Miller, a 22-year-old Lexington resident, was sentenced to more than 9 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing the firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Monday in a news release.

The charges stem from June 14, 2025, when Lexington County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to an apartment after receiving reports of a domestic violence incident, according to the release.

While deputies were on their way, they learned that Miller had an outstanding warrant for a probation violation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

As law enforcement arrived, Miller ran out of the apartment with an AK-style rifle and a backpack that was carrying cash, numerous bags of marijuana and two cellphones, according to the release.

When deputies caught up with Miller, he did not have the rifle, but after he was arrested deputies retraced Miller’s steps and located the AK-style gun, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

A search of the apartment revealed a large vacuum sealed bag of marijuana, a digital drug scale and ammunition, according to the release. Miller is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition based upon prior convictions for escape and unlawful carrying of a pistol, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Miller to 111 months in prison, to be followed by a 3-year term of court-ordered supervision, according to the release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Miller faced a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Miller also was charged with multiple state charges that are pending, according to Lexington County court records.

Bond was denied on criminal domestic violence (of a high and aggravated nature), drug and two weapons charges, jail records show. When he was arrested Miller also was charged with two counts of possession of a firearm or ammo by person convicted of certain crimes, filing a false police report, threatening the life, person or family of a public official, intimidation (of court officials, witnesses or jurors) and probation violations, according to jail records.

The federal case was investigated by the FBI Columbia field office and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon prosecuted the case. Columbia attorney Todd Rutherford, also a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, was listed as Miller’s lawyer in the state case.