Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Jarriet Rascoe, a 32 year old resident of Selma, Alabama was found guilty of possession of a firearm after conviction of a felony.  The trial was held on September 6, 2019.  

The evidence produced at trial showed that on February 7, 2019, Rascoe knew he was a felon.  A Selma police officer conducted a traffic stop on a white Oldsmobile Cutlass being driven by Rascoe that was speeding. As the vehicles came to a stop, the officer ran a check on the tag of the vehicle.  The vehicles came to a stop in Rascoe’s driveway.  As the officer approached the driver’s side of the vehicle, Rascoe quickly exited the vehicle and said, “I don’t want a speeding ticket.”  The officer told him to stop and stay where he was.  Rascoe complied.  The officer then asked Rascoe for his driver’s license and proof of insurance.  Rascoe responded that he did not have his license on him and that he did not have insurance.  Rascoe asked a child in the yard at his residence to retrieve his license from inside a different vehicle in the yard of the residence and the child did. The officer then ran Rascoe’s license and also learned that the tag came back to a different vehicle. The officer then believed that the vehicle may have been stolen. Next, he asked Rascoe if the vehicle was his and Rascoe said, “Yes.”  Rascoe appeared nervous. The officer then asked Rascoe if he had illegal drugs or weapons in the vehicle. Rascoe replied, “No.”  Next, the officer asked for permission to search the vehicle and Rascoe said, “No.”   The officer decided to call for a K-9 unit.  The K-9 unit arrived approximately four minutes later.   The K-9 officer walked his dog around the vehicle and the dog alerted on the front driver’s door. A search was then conducted of the vehicle.  Seized from the driver’s side floorboard was a very small quantity of marijuana.  Seized from the trunk of the vehicle were three firearms.  Two of the firearms were loaded.  The firearms were described as a Smith & Wesson, model SD40, .40 caliber pistol, a Ruger, model P89, .9 caliber pistol and Smith & Wesson, model 51, .22 caliber revolver.    Rascoe told the officers that he was aware of one of the firearms but not the other two.  Rascoe asked the officers if the “feds were going to get the case?”  One officer respond, I don’t know.”  Rascoe asked again, “do you think the feds are gonna pick up this case?”  That officer then responded, “You know you are a felon and should not be riding around with guns in the trunk.”  At that time, Rascoe had been

Officers of the Selma, AL Police Department along with special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and brought it to the U. S. Attorney's Office for prosecution.  The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant United States Attorney, Gina S. Vann.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama at www.justice.gov/usao-sdal  

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