Greenville Man Sentenced For Possession Of Firearm By A Felon

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that in federal court on yesterday, United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced DAQUEZ HOWARD, 20, from Greenville, N.C., to 72 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  HOWARD pled guilty to the charge on July 18, 2016.         

     The offense occurred at approximately 12:52 a.m. on January 23, 2016, when a female was in her car in the parking lot of the Food Lion store at 250 Easy Street, Greenville, NC, and a dark colored Jeep pulled beside her.  The victim saw four black males in the Jeep and that the two males in back had masks on their faces.  One of the back passengers pointed a handgun at her.  Fearing that she was about to be robbed, the victim drove away and called 911.  Within minutes a Greenville Police Officer arrived at the scene and saw a dark colored Jeep occupied by four black males leaving the parking lot.  The officer stopped the Jeep and found HOWARD to be a rear passenger.  While the officer was walking HOWARD to his patrol vehicle, the officer heard an object hit the pavement.  The officer retrieved a loaded FIE Titan .25 caliber pistol by HOWARD’S feet.  While the officer was speaking over the phone with the victim, HOWARD spontaneously said that he wasn’t wearing a mask but that he was wearing a hoodie and bandana over his face because it was cold.  HOWARD is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to his prior convictions for common law robbery, possession with the intent to sell and deliver cocaine and possession with the intent to sell and deliver marijuana.

The case was investigated by the Greenville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The federal prosecution was handled by Special Assistant United States Attorney Glenn Perry.  Mr. Perry is a prosecutor with the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office.  Pitt County District Attorney Kimberly Robb has assigned Mr. Perry to the United States Attorney’s Office, pursuant to funding provided by the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, to prosecute federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force criminal matters.