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Press Release

Bolivar Man Found Guilty of Being a Convicted Felon in Possession of a Firearm

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Tennessee

Jackson, TN – After a two-day trial, a federal jury has found Pierre Woods, 38, of Bolivar, TN, guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the guilty verdict today.

According to information presented in court, on February 20, 2019, officers of the Bolivar, Tennessee, Police Department were called to a motel. Woods’ pregnant girlfriend informed officers that Woods had marijuana in the motel room and a gun in his car. She also said that she had been physically abused. Officers located marijuana in the room.

Woods had driven the car to work but was not present in the car when officers arrived at his workplace. The officers obtained a search warrant to search the vehicle. When asked, Woods told them he did not have the keys to the vehicle, and that his mother had them. Upon searching the vehicle, officers found a Kel-Tec 9mm pistol. The jury found Woods, who was already a convicted felon, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. This is Woods’ second conviction in this district for this offense.

Sentencing for Woods is scheduled for January 14, 2020 before U.S. District Court Chief Judge S. Thomas Anderson, where he faces a possible sentence of up to 120 months in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Convicted felons who possess firearms are an inherent danger to the community, and in this case, Woods was a violent domestic abuser who continued to possess a firearm and illegal drugs despite his prior felony conviction history. This is one more recidivist gun-toter that will be removed from the streets, and Bolivar and Hardeman County is safer as a result."

The Bolivar Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated this case.

This case was prosecuted by the Eastern Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Updated October 18, 2019