Colquitt County Man Sentenced For Firearms Offenses Under Project Safe Neighborhoods

VALDOSTA: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that on July 11, 2018, Senior United States District Court Judge Hugh Lawson sentenced Karron Blackwell, Jr., age 31, of Doerun, Georgia, to 80 months imprisonment for the for  Possession of a Firearm by a convicted felon.

There is no parole in the federal system.

At his guilty plea hearing on March 9, 2018, Mr. Blackwell admitted that on April 1, 2015, he was found to be in possession of a .38 caliber revolver during the execution of a search warrant by Moultrie Police Department.  Prior to that date, Mr. Blackwell was convicted of three counts of Sale of Cocaine in Superior Court in Colquitt County and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.           

“With the gun violence in our society and communities today, the message must go out that felons cannot possess firearms.  Since his three prior convictions did not teach Mr. Blackwell this lesson, perhaps his sentence of almost seven years in federal prison will drive this fact home,” said United States Attorney Peeler.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.                                                                

The case was investigated by the Moultrie Police Department, Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant United States Attorney Julia C. Bowen prosecuted the case for the United States.

Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.