Gibson County felon gets 6 years in prison for possessing firearm

JACKSON, Tenn. — 38-year-old John Thomas Ward, of Gibson County, has been sentenced to over six years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to information presented in court, deputies in Gibson County were dispatched to a residence on Milan Highway on March 17, 2021 after reports of suspicious persons in the area. A deputy observed John Ward and a female standing near two vehicles. The deputy says Ward was changing a tire on one of the vehicles. Through conversation, the deputy determined the female had an active order of protection against Ward.

A news release states that after detecting an odor of marijuana, the deputy asked to search the vehicles and the two gave consent. The deputy discovered a firearm on the floorboard of one of the vehicles, which Ward claimed as his own and he informed the deputy he was a convicted felon. The serial number on the firearm had been altered and it was later determined as stolen.

According to a release, Ward had previously been convicted of domestic assault on five separate occasions, including one felony charge of aggravated domestic assault with a deadly weapon. Additionally, Ward was actively under an order of protection that prohibited him from being in the presence of the female at the scene.

Ward entered a guilty plea on February 1, 2022, and on May 6, U.S. Chief Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced him to 80 months incarceration followed by three years of supervised release.

To read the full news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, click here.

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