Columbus man pleads guilty to second firearms charge
A metro-Atlanta resident who was trafficking methamphetamine through the Middle District of Georgia from an Atlanta source when he attempted to flee police on Interstate 75 was sentenced to serve more than 17 years in federal prison this week for his crime.
Special PhotoFrom staff reports
COLUMBUS – A convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history has pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm for the second time.
Jovan Floyd, 39, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge Clay Land. Floyd faces a maximum 10 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing has been scheduled for Feb. 8. There is no parole in the federal system.
“It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a gun, let alone after previously being convicted of the same crime, like Jovan Floyd,” acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “Repeat and violent offenders will be held accountable for their crimes.”
“Denying criminals access to firearms is one of ATF’s top priorities” ATF Special Agent in Charge Benjamin P. Gibbons said. “This investigation and conviction is the result of our partnership with the Columbus Police Department and should serve as a warning that the criminal possession and use of firearms will not be tolerated.”
According to court documents, a Columbus Police Department officer responded to a report on March 13 alleging assault at an apartment located on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The victim told officers she and Floyd had been fighting all day. The victim and Floyd both stated they did not want to press charges and both signed waivers of prosecution. Officers left the scene but were called back one hour later in reference to a man with a weapon.
Officers found Floyd sitting inside a vehicle, and in plain view on the front passenger seat was a 12-gauge shotgun. At the time of his arrest, Floyd was serving federal supervised release for a prior conviction for illegally possessing a firearm in the Middle District of Georgia. Floyd has numerous prior convictions.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Columbus Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the government.
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