Meridian Man Pleads Guilty under Project EJECT to llegally Possessing a Gun

Jackson, Miss. –  Edmond Dewayne Miller, 22, of Meridian, pled guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Kurt Thielhorn, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On July 4, 2019, the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office responded to a noise complaint concerning loud music and multiple episodes of gunfire at Miller’s residence.  Miller’s neighbors told the deputies that there had been consistent gunfire over a period of several days.  One neighbor said that he had heard bullets pass near him while he was on his tractor in a pasture that bordered Miller’s property.

Two deputies went to Miller’s residence and spoke with him concerning the loud music and gunfire.  The deputies cautioned Miller concerning the use of firearms in the area of other houses and asked him to turn down the music.  At that time, the deputies were unaware that Miller had a prior felony conviction for aggravated assault.  Miller agreed to turn down the music and indicated he would be more careful where he and his friends and family fired their weapons.

After leaving Miller’s residence the deputies were contacted by the same neighbors who told them that the music had been turned back up.  One deputy returned to Miller’s residence and found Miller heading through the wood line in the direction of the complaining neighbor’s residence with a .40 caliber pistol in his waistband.  The deputy stopped Miller and took custody of the firearm. 

The deputies soon discovered that the firearm was stolen and that Miller was a convicted felon.    

Miller was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 6, 2019.  He will be sentenced on April 10, 2020, by Judge Jordan.  Miller faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was  investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles W. Kirkham.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.