United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

ARMED CAREER CRIMINAL SENTENCED TO NEARLY 18 YEARS
IN FEDERAL PRISON, WITHOUT PAROLE

An Iowa Park, Texas, man, George Arthur Harrelson, Jr., was sentenced on Friday, February 16, 2007, in federal court in Dallas to 210 months in prison as an armed career criminal, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Harrelson pled guilty in September 2006 to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. George Arthur Harrelson, Jr., 32, was sentenced as an armed career criminal under federal statute because of his extensive history of violent felonies, including a prior conviction for sexual assault, and multiple convictions for burglaries of homes and buildings in the Wichita Falls, Texas area.

On January 28, 2005, Wichita Falls and Iowa Park Police Department officers were trying to locate Harrelson, and went to a residence where they believed Harrelson might be found. The occupant of that house informed them that Harrelson was inside and had a handgun, and she provided officers consent to search the house. Harrelson’s juvenile son told the officers that Harrelson had hidden a firearm under the nightstand in the child’s bedroom. Officers located a 9 millimeter caliber semiautomatic pistol which had 11 bullets in its clip and one in the firing chamber.

Harrelson’s sentence was further enhanced because he possessed the firearm in connection with the possession of a bag of marijuana, which was found within the residence. Because of the manner of the marijuana’s packaging and past statements by Harrelson admitting to marijuana sales, U.S. Senior District Court Judge Jerry Buchmeyer determined that the firearm possession was in connection with the offense of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Iowa Park Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Konig.

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