-information courtesy of the Eastern District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office
A man who shot at a Warren County Sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to 120 months’ imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Rodriguez Crudup pled guilty to charges that stemmed from an incident on Dec. 28, 2021 at a Warrenton residence. The deputy was responding to a domestic disturbance call, according to information from the office of U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.
“The deputy was advised that Crudup, who was at the residence, took the victim’s loaded firearm and ran from the residence into the woods. The deputy heard Crudup running in the woods and ran towards the area identifying himself as a Warren County Sheriff’s Officer. At this time a single shot was discharged by the defendant and the deputy heard the crack of a projectile pass over his head,” the statement read.
The deputy took cover at his vehicle and called for additional units. Crudup was later arrested and the gun was found in the woods. An assessment of the firearm revealed that the gun had jammed after the first round was discharged.
Crudup’s prior convictions include breaking and entering, and two prior convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge James C. Dever rejected the defendant’s arguments that this was an accidental discharge and found the defendant intentionally fired his weapon at a law enforcement officer. The defendant was sentenced to the maximum sentence he could receive.
“We stand with and will protect law enforcement who respond to dangerous situations. Our office will continue to prosecute armed felons who threaten our community,” Easley said in the statement announcing the sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jane J. Jackson and Yasir Sadat prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.