Two Augusta area men have recently been sentenced to federal prison terms for illegal possession of firearms.
The indicted cases are being investigated part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney David H. Estes.
“It is a priority of our office to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to target those whose illegal possession of firearms threatens the safety of our communities,” Estes said in the news release.
In the past four years, more than 750 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony.
Recently in U.S. District Court in Augusta, two men have been sentenced:
- Demont Latrell Gresham, 33, of Washington, Ga. was sentenced to 34 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Gresham ran from Wilkes County Sheriff’s deputies and Georgia State Patrol troopers in July 2020 when they attempted to arrest him on an outstanding warrant. A rifle was found in his vehicle.
- James Ricardo Harris, 29, of Augusta, was sentenced to 26 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Harris was arrested in May 2019 when Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies found him in possession of a pistol during a traffic stop.
Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.Â
