SC man found asleep in running car faces life sentence, official says. Here’s why

A man who was discovered by law enforcement officers sleeping while behind the wheel of a running vehicle faces a life sentence in federal prison for what was in his possession, not a traffic violation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Nathan Johnson Jr., a 45-year-old Richland County resident, was found with more than 100 grams of cocaine in his pocket and a .45 caliber pistol in the vehicle’s glove compartment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday in a news release.

Johnson recently pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in a drug trafficking crime, according to the release.

The charges stem from an April 20, 2024, incident when a deputy with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department responded to a service call at a residence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Upon arrival, the deputy saw a vehicle sitting in the middle of the road with the brake lights on, according to the release.

The deputy approached and found Johnson asleep in the car with the vehicle in drive and Johnson’s foot on the brake, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

After waking Johnson, the deputy told him to put the car in park, but Johnson put the car in reverse and struck the patrol vehicle, according to the release. After getting Johnson out of the vehicle, the deputy searched him and found the drugs and gun, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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Johnson faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the release. Should he be released from prison, Johnson also faces 5 years of supervision, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Anderson Jr., accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Johnson after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office, according to the release.

In addition to the sheriff’s department, this case also was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Witherspoon is prosecuting the case. Columbia attorney Seth Rose, a Democrat serving in the South Carolina Legislature, was listed as Johnson’s attorney on state charges from the arrest that are pending, Richland County court records show.