News and Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MONDAY - February 14, 2011

PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED FELON RECEIVES FEDERAL SENTENCE

FOR ILLEGAL GUN POSSESSION

NEW BERN - United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court on February 11, 2011, Chief United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced BRIAN NICHOLAS THORNE, 26, to 100 months’ imprisonment followed by three years supervised release. The Court also imposed a fine of $2000.00.

A Federal Grand Jury returned a Criminal Indictment on July 9, 2010. On November 9, 2010, THORNE pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

On February 20, 2010, law enforcement officers were dispatched to a nightclub after receiving a report of a person that was armed with a handgun in the club parking lot. When officers arrived, they observed THORNE walking in the parking lot near a second person. As one officer approached the two individuals in his patrol car, THORNE raised a loaded Tressitu, RSA, Model TZ99, 9mm semi automatic handgun and aimed at the officer. The officer took cover behind his patrol vehicle, and he and a second officer pulled their service weapons and ordered the two individuals to the ground. After a brief standoff, THORNE dropped his handgun and was taken into custody. The gun was recovered along with six rounds of ammunition.

This case was part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods(PSN) initiative which encourages federal, state, and local agencies to cooperate in a unified “team effort” against gun crime, targeting repeat offenders who continually plague their communities.

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Nash County Sheriff’s Office; and the Rocky Mount Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Toby W. Lathan represented the government.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.