Tag Archive for: #unitedstatesattorneysofficeofeasternc

Shooting in Henderson Lands Convicted Felon in Federal Prison

/by

Press Release –

A Henderson man was sentenced yesterday to 96 months in prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.

According to court documents and other evidence, Jerome Cozart, 31, engaged in a shootout with another individual at a convenience store on East Andrews Avenue in Henderson.  Video surveillance shows the two men in a verbal altercation, when Cozart retrieves a handgun and shoots toward the other man who returned fire.  A Henderson Police Department officer was nearby on routine patrol and immediately responded to the scene, placing Cozart into custody.  No one was injured.

Cozart had prior convictions for Common Law Robbery, Breaking or Entering and Terrorizing or Injuring, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.  The Henderson Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson  prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-293-M.

###

Henderson Man Sentenced for Two Counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Felon

/by

NEW BERN – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that in federal court, United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced ISMIL GRAY JEFFERS, 23, of Henderson, NC to 140 months of imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release.

JEFFERS pled guilty on November 15, 2016 to being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

On September 22, 2015, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance complaint. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found JEFFERS in the bathroom of Auto Connection Used Auto Sales and subsequently conducted a search of his vehicle where a firearm and controlled substances were found. On October 19, 2015, members of the Henderson Police Department conducted a checkpoint traffic stop in which JEFFERS was a passenger in a vehicle. The vehicle pulled away from the checkpoint causing an officer to pursue. The vehicle stopped a short distance later and JEFFERS, a convicted felon, was observed throwing a handgun into a grassy area.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

The criminal investigation of this case was conducted by the Henderson Police Department Police Department, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the North Carolina State Crime Lab. Assistant United States Attorney S. Katherine Burnette is handling the case on behalf of the government.

USAO – North Carolina, Eastern

Topic: 

Firearms Offenses