Camden Man Sentenced on Gun Charges

United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that James Darren Norris, 52, of Camden, Alabama, was sentenced this morning to 37 months’ imprisonment on gun charges.  Court documents show that Norris was driving a truck pulling a trailer with no lights and no tag in June of 2017.  The officers noticed paraphernalia in the vehicle in plain view associated with drug use.  Officers also observed that Norris was wearing a gun holster on his belt, which was empty, and his belt was unbuckled.  They conducted a search of his vehicle and found other drug paraphernalia, two grams of methamphetamine and a loaded .45 caliber pistol.  Norris admitted that he was a convicted felon.  Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) determined that Norris had a prior felony conviction in federal court in Mobile for being a prohibited person (a drug user) in possession of a firearm. 

Norris was indicted in January of 2018 by a federal grand jury in Mobile, charged with felon in possession of a firearm.  In March of 2018, ATF agents and agents from the 4th Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force traveled to Norris’ residence in Camden to execute an arrest warrant for the federal indictment.  When they arrived, they found drug paraphernalia in plain view in the shop near the house, and shotgun shells around the desk in the shop.  They obtained a search warrant to determine whether there was additional drug evidence or a gun in the residence or the shop.  They found a 12 gauge shotgun in the house.  Norris was advised of his rights, and he admitted that he was a user of methamphetamine and he used it whenever he had it, as often as a couple of times a day.  In late March, the grand jury in Mobile returned a superseding indictment charging Norris with being a drug user in possession of the shotgun recovered from his residence in March.  In April of 2018, Norris pled guilty to the federal charges of felon in possession of a firearm and drug user in possession of a firearm. 

United States District Court Judge Callie V. S. Granade sentenced Norris to 37 months’ imprisonment concurrent on the two counts.  The judge also ordered that Norris undergo drug and alcohol treatment and counseling while serving his sentence.  The judge further ordered that Norris serve a three-year term of supervised release when he is discharged from his custody sentence, during which he will undergo further drug and alcohol abuse treatment.  Norris was ordered to pay $200 in mandatory special assessments, but no fine was imposed. 

The case was investigated by the Camden Police Department, 4th Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force, and ATF.  It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United Sates Attorney Gloria Bedwell.