Mooresburg Man Sentenced To 190 Months For Firearm Offense

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On March 14, 2024, George Wesley Short, 56, of Mooresburg, Tennessee, was sentenced to 190 months of imprisonment by the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.  During the sentencing proceeding, Judge Corker found Short to be an Armed Career Criminal based on his prior criminal history.  Following his incarceration, Short will be on supervised release for five years.  Judge Corker also ordered the forfeiture of the firearm seized during Short’s arrest. 

Short pled guilty to a Superseding Indictment, which charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).  According to the stipulated facts, which were filed with the court, Short admitted that on December 29, 2021, a deputy with the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department attempted a traffic stop on his vehicle; however, Short refused to stop and a vehicle pursuit ensued.  After his vehicle broke down, Short attempted to flee on foot, but was apprehended.  When law enforcement searched his vehicle, they located a firearm on the passenger-side floorboard of the vehicle.  Short also admitted that he was previously convicted of a felony offense.

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Special Agent in Charge, Marcus S. Watson, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.

The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department and the ATF.  This investigation was led by ATF Special Agent Bryan Williams.

Assistant United States Attorneys B. Todd Martin and Luke McLauren represented the United States.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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