From The Tribune staff reports
TUSCALOOSA – A federal jury found a convicted felon guilty of illegally possessing ammunition on Tuesday, July 25.
The conviction was announced by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.
According to the Department of Justice, the jury returned its guilty verdict against Deandrea Darnelle Young, 34, of Tuscaloosa, after two days of testimony before Chief U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler. Young was convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
“It is not only a federal crime for a prohibited person to possess a firearm, but also to possess ammunition,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “Removing firearms and ammunition from prohibited persons is an integral part of our efforts to fight violent crime and to keep our families and communities safe. Alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold these individuals accountable.”
“Many people know that convicted felons are prohibited from possessing firearms, but a lesser-known fact is that they are also prohibited from possessing ammunition,” SAC Watson said. “We at ATF work tirelessly to keep our communities safe from the individuals who endanger our neighborhoods. We will continue to work with our state, local, and federal partners to protect the public from violent criminals.”
According to evidence presented at trial, on February 27, 2022, a Tuscaloosa Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on Young. The officer made contact with Young and asked for his driver’s license and insurance. Young ignored the officer’s repeated requests for information and fled from the officer. The officer chased Young and found the abandoned vehicle in an apartment complex. During the search of the abandoned vehicle officers found 10 rounds of Igman 9mm ammunition underneath clothing belonging to Young. The officers did not find a firearm.
Young is prohibited from having ammunition because of multiple prior felony convictions. Young was convicted on January 10, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, of Felon in Possession of a Firearm in case number 7:21-cr-00461-LSC-GMB; and was convicted on August 15, 2012, in the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, of two counts of Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, First Degree, in CC-2012-2072 and CC-2012-1389. On the same date, he was convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance in CC-2012-2073. On November 9, 2011, in the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Young was convicted of Burglary, First Degree, in CC-2008-1527, and of Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, First Degree, in CC-2011-2381.
The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of an ammunition is 10 years in prison.
The ATF investigated the case along with the Tuscaloosa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney L. Plyler and Catherine Crosby are prosecuting the case.
