A federal court in Memphis this week pronounced that an already-convicted felon, who is a bounty hunter, was guilty of possessing a firearm.
Per federal law, convicted felons may not have firearms.
This, according to a press release that officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee published on their website.
U.S. attorneys announced the news about that man, Jeremy Fields, 35, this week. This was the second post-COVID-19 federal trial Memphis has held, the press release said.
“According to information presented in court, on March 28, 2019, U.S. Probation and Parole Officers conducted a home inspection at the residence of Jeremy Fields, a convicted felon, who was on supervised release for possessing a firearm and body armor in conjunction with his duties as a bounty hunter. During the search, officers observed suspicious items in the home that led them to believe Fields was still engaged in the bounty hunting business. They discovered a handgun in a case containing Fields’ bounty hunter ID and badge, handcuffs, and two holsters, along with other personal documents in Fields’ bedroom,” according to the press release.
“Fields explained to the officers that the gun must belong to his brother (friend) Julian Williams, 36. When Williams arrived, he initially told officers nothing in the home belonged to him. After some time on the scene, Williams mentioned he stayed with Fields previously and might have left a gun there some time ago. At trial, Williams took the stand and told the jury that he did not know Fields was a convicted felon. He said he left his gun under Fields’ bed in the case without telling Fields it was there. The jury rejected that defense, and found Fields guilty as charged in the indictment.”
Federal officials have scheduled Fields’ sentencing for December 18 before U.S. District Court Judge Samuel H. Mays, where Fields faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison followed by up to three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system, the press release said.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said in the press release that convicted felons who possess firearms “are an inherent danger to the community.”
“In this case, this offender stubbornly continued to possess a firearm despite his prior felony conviction history and his supervised probation status,” Dunavant said.
“Fields has demonstrated his refusal to accept responsibility for his criminal conduct, and, as a result of this guilty verdict, he will now face a significant consequence for his brazen recidivism.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
