Eight area men have been sentenced in U.S. District Court for being felons in possession of guns.
“Felons and firearms don’t mix, and it’s vital to public safety that we keep them separated,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. attorney for the Southern District. “As a new year begins, we renew our determination to remove guns from the hands of those who are prohibited from possessing them.”
The longest sentence went to 23-year-old William Beau DeVore of Martinez. Chief U.S. District Judge J. Randal Hall sentenced DeVore to 102 months, some eight-and-a-half years, in federal prison, ordered him to pay a $2,000 fine and recommended treatment for drug addiction, according to court records.
Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies arrested DeVore in January 2022 for burglary and determined the convicted felon was illegally in possession of three rifles and two shotguns.
According to a statement, more than 800 defendants have been prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on gun charges in the last five years. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a cooperative effort by state, local and federal law enforcement to get illegal guns off the streets.
Other defendants recently sentenced in the Southern District for possessing guns after a prior felony conviction include:
- Zion Howard, 23, of Augusta, to 80 months after Richmond County deputies found him possession of a pistol
- Tyrone Dion Lyons Sr., 39, of Augusta, to 50 months after Richmond deputies and U.S. Marshals found a pistol in Lyons’ vehicle during his arrest in Gwinnett County
- Steve Shontell Heath, 46, of Hephzibah, to 46 months after a Burke County deputy found a gun in his car during a traffic stop
- Isaac Wilford Stewart, 24, of Augusta, to 37 months after Waynesboro police officers found a pistol in Stewart’s wrecked vehicle when he fled a traffic stop
- Joquan K. Clark, 25, of Waynesboro, to 30 months and a $1,500 fine after police responding to a domestic violence call found a pistol in his pocket
- Robert Sanders, 66, of Hephzibah, to 12 months and one day after Fort Eisenhower police found him fishing in an unauthorized area with pistol in his vehicle
There is no parole in the federal system, so defendants likely will serve the bulk of their sentences. Other convicted felons awaiting adjudication include:
- Hunter W. Taylor, 26, of Hephzibah, awaits sentencing for possessing a rifle discovered by deputies investigating reports of gunfire
- Lynwood Forrest Burke, 60, of Dearing, was indicted for meth dealing and firearms possession Jan. 10
For more information about the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atfw-form-4473.
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
