MILTON FELON INDICTED FOR ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF A FIREARM

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Darin Leroy Vanness, 32, of Milton, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charge today.

Vanness appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon in Pensacola, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for March 16, 2026 at 8:30 am, before District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.

If convicted, Vanness faces up to ten years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Milton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, human and drug trafficking.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.