Harford Circuit Court sentences Middle River Man to 12 years on Firearm, Drug Possession Charges.

Jun. 29— A Middle River man pleaded guilty in Harford County Circuit Court on Monday to illegal firearm possession, and possession of and intent to distribute cocaine.

Jabreel Avion Samuels, 31, will face 12 years incarceration according to a news release from the county’s Office of the State’s Attorney.

A Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputy saw Samuels operating a vehicle on Route 24 near Edgewood without a front license plate on June 16 around 8:30 p.m. The deputy followed Samuels’ vehicle and called for additional deputies.

Samuels then side-swiped a vehicle driving around it while turning onto Rosewood Drive. He then fled on foot and threw an object over the roof of a house on Hornbeam Road’s 600 block — the object recovered was a loaded Polymer 80 “ghost gun.”

After being pursued on foot, Samuels initially complied with deputies by lying on the ground before fleeing again. Samuels was then tased and placed under arrest.

Another deputy found nine grams of crack cocaine in Samuels’ vehicle.

Following Samuels’s plea, Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey said in the release: “Illegal possession of guns by those who are prohibited due to prior criminal convictions will always be a priority in my office, and we will always recommend significant sentences for those offenders …

“Mr. Samuels has previously been identified as a gang member and removing him from our community sends a strong message that these criminals have no place in Harford County.”