United States Attorney Leura G. Canary Middle District of Alabama

ROANOKE FELON SENTENCED TO 69 MONTHS IN PRISON
FOR POSSESSING FIREARM IN RANDOLPH COUNTY

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA – Leura G. Canary, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, announced today that Jimmy Collins, age 56, of Roanoke, Alabama, was sentenced in federal district court on January 10, 2008, to a term of 69 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The district judge ordered that 19 months of the sentence be served concurrently with a sentence Collins is serving in state prison on a related drug possession charge. The remaining 50 months were ordered to be served in federal prison consecutively to any sentences Collins is serving in state prison.

Collins previously pled guilty to possessing a .270 caliber rifle in his home on September 7, 2005, in Randolph County, Alabama. Roanoke Police Department officers discovered the rifle while executing a search warrant on Collins’ home. Prior to searching the home, Roanoke Police Department officers searched Collins’ vehicle and discovered a quantity of crack cocaine in his possession. As a result, Collins was charged in state court with possession of a controlled substance. Because Collins was a convicted felon, he was charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Collins’ criminal history at the time included felony convictions for Murder and Possession of Cocaine. Shortly after the rifle was found, Collins was convicted of Assault 2nd Degree for hitting a police officer with his car. Federal law prohibits any person convicted of a felony offense from possessing a firearm.

The case was investigated as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods and the Middle District of Alabama’s Alabama ICE (Isolating the Criminal Element) programs, aimed at preventing violent crime and the illegal possession of firearms. According to United States Attorney Leura G. Canary, “The conviction and sentencing of Jimmy Collins shows that repeat, violent offenders will not be allowed to have firearms in our communities without suffering serious consequences.”

This case was investigated through the joint efforts of the Roanoke Police Department, the Randolph County District Attorney’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Matthew Shepherd.