Florence Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm Charge

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Trevor Winfield Evins, age 35, of Florence, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Florence to felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins, Jr., of Spartanburg, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after a pre-sentence report is prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that October 18, 2017, an officer with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office was patrolling near Saluda Drive and Madison Avenue and attempted to stop Evins for a traffic violation. Evins fled leading police on a vehicle chase before eventually stopping his car and fleeing on foot. FCSO officers located Evins after a search of the area. A search of the car driven by Evins uncovered quantity amounts of marijuana and cocaine. A loaded 9mm pistol was found hidden in the engine compartment.

Evins is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition based upon prior convictions. Evins has a prior federal court conviction for felon in possession of a firearm and a state court conviction for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Evins faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is 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. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher D. Taylor of the Florence office handled the case.

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