A Winston-Salem man was sentenced on July 28 in Greensboro to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm as a previously convicted felon, according to United States Attorney Dan Bishop of the Middle District of North Carolina.
John Franklin Barrow, Jr., aged 43, received a sentence of 180 months imprisonment and three years post-release supervision from Chief United States District Judge Catherine C. Eagles in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.
Court records show that on August 1, 2024, an eyewitness called 911 at approximately 2:42 p.m. reporting that Barrow had shot into a semi-truck traveling on I-40. The truck crashed into a tree line after its driver suffered gunshot wounds to the head and shoulder but ultimately survived. The driver told law enforcement he did not know Barrow. Barrow was also linked to another shooting on I-40 shortly afterwards where he shot toward another truck; although that driver was not injured, his vehicle sustained damage and he also reported not knowing Barrow.
Based on information from witnesses, officers responded to a motel in Winston-Salem where they found Barrow armed with a loaded firearm in his pants pocket and arrested him. A search of his vehicle revealed nine cartridge casings and about twenty-six additional live rounds.
Barrow’s criminal record dates back to 2002 and includes several felony convictions such as Felony Larceny of a Firearm, Felony Conspiracy to Sell Fentanyl, Felony Attempted Breaking and Entering a Building, Felony Manufacturing Marijuana, Felony Obtaining Property by False Pretense, Felony Larceny from the Person, and Felony Attempted Possession of a Firearm by Felon. He pleaded guilty on April 16, 2026, to being a felon in possession of a firearm under federal law.
On May 15, 2026, Barrow was also sentenced in Davie County court to two consecutive sentences for discharging a weapon into occupied property causing serious bodily injury and assault with intent to kill inflicting serious bodily injury related to the same incident involving the semi-truck driver. The case involved investigations by multiple agencies including local police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.