WILMINGTON – A local man with a long criminal history will spend more than a decade in prison after pleading guilty to federal gun and drug charges.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge James C. Dever sentenced a Wilmington man, Jarrod Davis, to 11 ½ years in prison for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl and heroin, possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On April 26,the 42-year-old pleaded guilty to the charges.
“We are prioritizing the prosecution of shooters and violent repeat offenders like this defendant, who sow fear and push deadly narcotics into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “I am grateful to local law enforcement and district attorneys for prioritizing these cases through our Violent Crime Action Plan.”
Davis has over 30 criminal convictions, 14 of which are for felony offenses. In November of 2003, he was sentenced to eight-to-10 years in state prison after he pled guilty to numerous felony offenses in New Hanover County Superior Court: the first involved an incident of him firing at two Wilmington Police Department Officers on February 22, 2003, the second for an armed robbery he was part of five months prior.
“Our priority remains going after armed repeat offenders and putting them in prison for years,” said New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David.
According to a statement and court documents, WPD officers responded to a ShotSpotter gunshot detection activation on April 13, 2022, where they located Davis and tried to speak to him. Davis initially fled on foot from law enforcement, but quickly was apprehended by officers. A subsequent search later revealed $982 in cash.
WPD officers later traced Davis’ path and found a fanny pack, containing 321 bags of what later was confirmed to be a mixture of heroin and fentanyl. They also located a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun. A spent shell casing from the weapon was later recovered from the area where officers first made contact with Davis.
“Felons who possess firearms and traffic in illegal substances have no place in our community and we will continue to pursue them. Once again, our women and men have stepped up to the plate to get another violent offender off the streets,” said WPD chief Donny Williams. “I am grateful for our continued partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies as well. Anyone who brings heroin, fentanyl, or any other illegal substance into our city will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Davis’ fingerprint was found on the gun’s magazine, and the shell casing was also linked to the weapon after testing. At the time of his release, Davis was on post-release supervision after being released from prison in December of 2011 after serving a six-to-nine year sentence for gun possession by a convicted felon and for being a habitual felon.
“Repeat offenders are a burden to our law enforcement agencies and a danger to our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to identify and apprehend those individuals who blatantly ignore the laws in place to keep neighborhoods safe.”
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