Jackson, Miss. - Justin Stabler, 31, of Harrison County, Mississippi, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to serve 90 months in federal prison as a result of his pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Just before 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 1, 2017, officers from the Jackson Police Department responded to 911 calls from the Belhaven Heights neighborhood concerning a man walking down the street brandishing a firearm. Several officers responded to the area of Moody and Quinn Streets in Jackson, and shortly thereafter, officers spotted Justin Stabler walking down the street carrying a revolver in his hand. Stabler was taken into custody without incident, and officers quickly determined that he was a convicted felon who was on parole and residing at a halfway house in another area of Jackson. Because Stabler was a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing either a firearm or ammunition under federal law. The firearm Stabler possessed was a large caliber Taurus "Judge" revolver loaded with five.410 gauge shotgun shells. The firearm was later determined to have been stolen.
Stabler had previously been convicted of multiple state felony offenses in Harrison County, Mississippi and Jackson County, Mississippi, including burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and possession of counterfeit currency.
The case was investigated by the Jackson Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dave Fulcher.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
