McNairy County man sentenced to 5 years for possessing a firearm as a felon

JACKSON, Tenn. — 21-year-old Peyton McCray Roberts has been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release.

The release states officers with the Selmer Police Department responded to a shooting incident at an apartment complex in Selmer on August 19, 2019.

Roberts admitted to officers he was intoxicated while he fired a gun into the floor of his apartment following an argument with friends.

Roberts gave his consent to law enforcement to enter his apartment, where they found his gun under a mattress.

According to Roberts, he shot the gun into the floor after trying to coerce his friends to leave the residence. Roberts said the gun went off while he was trying to unload it.

After taking Roberts into custody, law enforcement verified he was previously convicted of the felony offenses of introduction of contraband into a penal institution and possession of schedule III controlled substance with intent to deliver, the release states. The prior felony convictions prohibits Roberts by federal law to be in possession of firearms or ammunition.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Roberts to 60 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on August 7.

The case was investigated by the Selmer Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.