Press Release
Contact:
MICHAEL L. SCHIPPER
ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY
PHONE: (616) 456-2404
FELON IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM SENTENCED
THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008 - GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Jermichael Pettaway, 26, of Kentwood, was sentenced June 4, 2008, to 36 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Charles R. Gross announced today.
Pettaway pled guilty on March 5, 2008, to illegally possessing a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol. On August 4, 2007, a Wyoming police officer initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Pettaway. Pettaway initially refused to stop and a brief chase ensued. When Pettaway finally did stop his vehicle, he exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Officers eventually were able to subdue Pettaway by use of a taser. Pettaway, who had previously been convicted for armed robbery and felony firearms, was arrested. He was indicted on November 8, 2007 by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Gordon J. Quist ordered Pettaway to serve 36 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Gross commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Wyoming Police Department for their work on the case. He noted that “the citizens of Western Michigan should understand that we remain fully committed to vigorously enforcing the federal laws against the illegal possession of firearms by convicted felons.”
This case was prosecuted on behalf of the United States of America by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael L. Schipper.
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