Violation: Felon in the Possession of a Firearm
Result: Misdemeanor charge
Client was charged with the offense of felon in the possession of a firearm in Putnam County, Tennessee. The offense is a class E felony, carrying a possible sentence of one to six years. Despite felon convictions from 16 years ago, the client held a real estate license which was in jeopardy as a result of this new felony allegation. While any criminal offense can place a real estate license in jeopardy, a misdemeanor offense would most likely allow him retain his license, while a felony offense was likely to cause him to lose his license. Even though the client confessed the gun found was his gun, we proceeded with an investigation. A close review of the State Trooper’s video tape showed that he had made statements supporting our claim that he intended to manufacture a false drug sniff to justify a search of the vehicle. The trooper had undue delay the client’s seizure without cause to wait on another trooper’s arrival with the drug dog. As a result of the investigation, an agreement was negotiated which allowed my client to plead guilty to a minor misdemeanor offense – avoiding the felony, jail, and retaining his real estate license.