Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Charlotte Man Is Convicted by a Federal Jury for Illegal Gun Possession
The Defendant Was on Post Release Supervision When He Committed the Offense
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal jury has convicted Trevon Darnell Hopkins, 27, of Charlotte, of possession of a firearm by a felon, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. presided over the trial which ended yesterday.
Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer is joined in making today’s announcement by Vincent C. Pallozzi, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).
According to filed court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, on June 23, 2018, CMPD officers observed Hopkins driving a vehicle that had been reported as stolen. When law enforcement attempted to execute a traffic stop of the vehicle, Hopkins refused to comply and sped away. The defendant then proceeded to drive recklessly, including onto oncoming traffic and on the sidewalk. Hopkins eventually lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. CMPD officers arrested Hopkins at the scene. As trial evidence established, law enforcement located two firearms in the stolen vehicle. Hopkins is prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple prior felony convictions. Also, at the time of his arrest, Hopkins was on post-release supervision with the State of North Carolina.
Hopkins is currently in federal custody. The charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. A sentencing date for Hopkins has not been set.
In making today’s announcement Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer thanked ATF and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Kelly and Stephanie Spaugh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case.