DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Southern District of Ohio

For Immediate Release

Thursday, February 5, 2015
Carter M. Stewart
, United States Attorney
Contact: Jennifer Thornton

Cincinnati Man Sentenced for Possessing Firearm as a Felon

CINCINNATI – Kenneth Johnson, 32, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 84 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Sharonville Police Chief Aaron Blasky and Donald J. Soranno, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division, announced the sentence handed down yesterday by U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott.

According to court documents, on or about May 25, 2014, Johnson, a previously convicted felon, possessed a pistol and seven rounds of ammunition. On that date, officers on foot patrol observed marijuana on the floorboard in the defendant’s vehicle and the smell of fresh marijuana on his person. When officers asked the defendant to move so they could search his vehicle, he drove away.

During the pursuit, Johnson slowed his vehicle while driving over a bridge. After being stopped at a hotel across the street, officers called in the K9 unit to search the bridge area. The search resulted in the recovery of a firearm.

Johnson pleaded guilty on September 30, 2014 to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. As part of his plea agreement, the defendant agreed to forfeit all firearms and ammunition within his possession.

U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by the Sharonville Police Department and ATF, as well as Cincinnati Branch Chief Anthony Springer, who prosecuted the case. 

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Columbus Field Division