U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross | U.S. Department of Justice
A Little Rock man, Juantay Jackson, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for illegal gun possession. This latest sentence adds to a previous 10-year sentence, resulting in a total of 20 years behind bars. The ruling was issued by United States District Court Chief Judge Kristine G. Baker.
Jackson, aged 37, was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 3, 2023. He faced charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. These charges followed his arrest on September 8, 2022. Jackson pleaded guilty to the firearm possession charge on October 19, 2023.
Previously, Jackson had been indicted on similar charges on March 6, 2018. This earlier indictment was related to an incident from 2017 when he was found with both drugs and a gun in his vehicle. After pleading guilty then as well, he failed to appear for sentencing scheduled for May 9, 2019. He managed to evade law enforcement until his arrest in September 2022 under similar circumstances. For the crime committed in 2017, he received a separate sentence of ten years.
In addition to the new prison term for the offense committed in September last year, Judge Baker ordered three years of supervised release following his imprisonment. The sentence stipulates that ten years will run consecutively with the previous ten-year sentence due to there being no parole available within the federal system.
The investigation into Jackson's recent offenses involved collaboration between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the North Little Rock Police Department. During this investigation initiated after officers attempted to stop him for speeding over twice the legal limit before crashing into a light pole and fleeing on foot—officers apprehended him shortly thereafter—they discovered methamphetamine pills on him along with firearms-related items including ammunition found inside his vehicle.
Assistant United States Attorney Shelby Shelton prosecuted this case against Jackson.
