Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

DAYTON – Henry B. Essick, III, 34, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 72 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jonathan McPherson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced the sentence handed down today by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

According to court documents, in September 2018, Essick possessed a Bolt Action Rifle. At that time, Essick was on post-release control with the State of Ohio. During a parole visit, authorities searched Essick’s residence on Harvard Boulevard in Dayton and located the rifle in a downstairs closet.

Essick has previously been convicted of felonies, including attempted aggravated arson, rape and kidnapping. He is currently in state custody after being convicted of forgery charges. Essick will serve his federal prison sentence consecutive to his current state one.

Essick pleaded guilty in May 2019 to one count of illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation by the ATF, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith, who is representing the United States in this case. 

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