Five men with prior felony convictions are headed back to federal prison after Charlotte-area stops turned up loaded handguns, some of them stolen, according to court records. Their new sentences range from 30 to 70 months and all stem from separate Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Police Department encounters.
CMPD Stops Spark Federal Cases, Prosecutors Say
“Those who continually engage in crime using firearms are going to find themselves in the federal system,” U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of North Carolina. The announcement says the five previously convicted felons were sentenced in federal court on Tuesday as part of coordinated prosecutions. The office credited the ATF and the Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Police Department for the investigations that led to the guilty pleas.
Among the group, prosecutors say 35‑year‑old Timothy Demetrius Williams of Mooresville drew the longest term, 70 months in prison and three years of supervised release, after officers reported finding a Glock Model 43X, 9mm, in his jacket pocket on Aug. 15, 2024. The gun was later traced as stolen. In a separate case, 28‑year‑old Luther Joseph Weathers was ordered to serve 57 months followed by two years of supervised release after CMPD officers recovered a loaded Taurus Magnum .357 from his jacket during a June 12, 2024 contact. Charlotte Alerts News provided the sentencing details.
Traffic Stops and Transit Center Search Round Out the Cases…