Mullins Man Sentenced to Over Six Years in Federal Prison on Gun Charge
Florence, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that Robert Anton Warren, 26, of Mullins, was sentenced to over six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on October 13, 2019, a sergeant with the Mullins Police Department was patrolling the area of Academy Street in Mullins when he saw a car that had no tag lights on the license plate. The sergeant initiated a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, who only had a beginner’s permit and had no licensed driver in the car. The sergeant also noticed that the expiration date on the tag was incorrect and appeared to have been altered. The sergeant issued the driver citations and asked the driver and passenger, Robert Warren, to step out of the car. Because the car was not registered, the sergeant proceeded with having the car towed. During an inventory of the car, the sergeant located an extended magazine with seven rounds of 9mm ammunition under the passenger seat where Warren had been sitting. The sergeant conducted a pat-down of Warren for weapons but did not locate any. Another officer who had arrived on scene to assist attempted to detain Warren, and Warren ran. After Warren ran, officers located a 9mm handgun in the grass in a nearby ditch. The firearm had one round in the chamber. Warren is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based on his prior convictions for strong arm robbery and possession of a stolen pistol.
Chief United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell sentenced Warren to 78 months in federal prison, to be followed by 36 months of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Mullins Police Department, and the Marion County Combined Drug Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel prosecuted the case.
The case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Michael Mule' (843) 327-0882