CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A repeat offender on federal supervised release was sentenced to prison today for illegally possessing a loaded firearm, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Corey Donnell Jenkins, 37, of Gastonia, N.C., was ordered to serve 112 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in December 2021 to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Bennie Mims, 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) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed documents and statements made in court, Jenkins has a criminal history that includes state convictions for possession with intent to sell or deliver drugs and assault on a female, and a federal conviction for illegal possession of a firearm. On January 16, 2021, a CMPD officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle Jenkins was driving for a license plate violation. Jenkins failed to stop his vehicle and instead sped away. Law enforcement followed Jenkins and continued to attempt to pull over the vehicle. Jenkins eventually crashed into another car and then fled on foot into a nearby fast food restaurant. Court records show that, while inside the restaurant, Jenkins attempted to dispose of his loaded firearm. When CMPD officers entered the fast food restaurant, Jenkins escaped through the drive through window. He was apprehended shortly thereafter outside of the restaurant and was taken into custody. Officers also retrieved the firearm Jenkins was carrying, which was a loaded .38 special revolver that had been reported stolen. At the time of the incident, Jenkins was on supervised release stemming from a 2013 federal gun conviction and was not permitted to possess a firearm or ammunition.
U.S. Attorney King thanked the ATF and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Regina Pack of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
* * *
In July 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina launched Think Again, an informational campaign to educate the public on
how to prevent illegal firearms from getting into the wrong hands. The U.S. Attorney’s Office partnered with the ATF in this initiative, in a joint effort to reduce gun-induced violence and to increase reporting of illegal firearms. The campaign encourages the public to submit an anonymous tip about illegal firearms and other criminal activity to the ATF by calling 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), via text at 63975, or online at WWW.ATF.GOV/ATF-TIPS.
For additional information about our Think Again initiative, please visit our website. You can view our Think Again Public Service Announcements here.