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Press Release

Greenwood Man Sentenced to 90 Months Imprisonment for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Jerry Jerome Yeldell, age 50, of Greenwood, South Carolina, was sentenced after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).  Senior United States District Henry M. Herlong, Jr., of Greenville, sentenced Yeldell to 90 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

At an earlier guilty plea hearing, Assistant U. S. Attorney Jeanne Howard, established that on July 31, 2016, Greenwood Police received a call that someone had been shot on Taggert Avenue in Greenwood.  The victim was transported to the hospital and identified Yeldell as the person who shot him.  Shortly thereafter, Yeldell turned himself in to the Greenwood Police Department and admitted to shooting the victim but stated it was in self-defense.

Because of his prior criminal history, which includes three convictions for public disorderly conduct, two convictions for distribution of crack cocaine, a conviction for possession of crack cocaine, a conviction for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, three convictions for simple assault and battery, a conviction for assault and battery 3rd degree, two convictions for burglary 2nd degree, 3 convictions for breaking into motor vehicles, and two convictions for forgery, Yeldell is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.    

The case was investigated by bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Greenwood Police Department, and FBI Safe Streets Task Force and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Jeanne Howard of the Greenville office handled the case.

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Contact

Lance Crick (864) 282-2105

Updated October 3, 2018

Topic
Project Safe Neighborhoods