Executive Summary
Laws and Precedent
Derek Somerset, a 46-year-old violent felon from Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday, August 22, 2025, to escaping from the custody of the Attorney General and the Attorney General’s authorized representative. Somerset had failed to report to a residential re-entry facility last year after being furloughed from federal prison, where he was serving a sentence for a firearm offense.
Court documents reveal that Somerset was furloughed on October 15, 2024, from a federal prison where he was serving a 48-month sentence for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He was instructed to report the following day to a residential re-entry facility in Tallahassee to complete his sentence, but he never arrived.
Somerset remained at large for over two months until he was located in a motel parking lot, experiencing a fentanyl overdose. For the escape charge, he now faces a potential sentence of up to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin for the Northern District of Florida announced the plea, commending the efforts of law enforcement. “I commend the efforts of our local law enforcement partners, working with the U.S. Marshal’s office, to get this violent felon off our streets and back in federal custody,” Heekin stated.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the United States Marshal’s Service. Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Welch is prosecuting the case. Somerset’s sentencing date has not yet been set.
