Madison County convicted felon gets 8 years in prison for carrying firearm

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — A Madison County man previously convicted on charges including aggravated burglary, arson and evading arrest is headed to prison for more than eight years.

2019

Authorities say 26-year-old Reggie Carnell James Jr., of Denmark, has been sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

According to a news release, on August 20, 2019, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Jackson Police Department Gang and Street Crimes Unit were completing the execution of a search warrant on North Parkway in Jackson when an investigator saw James — whose license was suspended at the time — driving a vehicle.

James was arrested and charged with driving on a suspended license.

Officers observed a Glock pistol on the driver’s seat floorboard. It was later discovered the pistol had been reported stolen by its owner.

Upon searching the car, officers discovered:

• A drum magazine loaded with 21 rounds of ammunition
• A backpack that contained eight individually wrapped baggies of marijuana, totaling 203.41 grams
• A clear bag containing 3.45 grams of meth
• A digital scale
• 16 THC vape cartridges
• An unloaded Taurus 9mm handgun
• A loaded Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver

Additionally, James was searched while in custody. Officers found five hyrdrocodone pills in his right front pocket. His left pocket contained 4.48 grams of marijuana and $495 in cash.

As a result of being convicted of earlier felonies in Madison County, James is prohibited by federal law to possess firearms or ammunition.

James was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J. Daniel Breen on March 31, 2021 to 100 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was a joint investigation by the Jackson Police Department, the United States Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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