BIRMINGHAM - A federal jury convicted a Marion County man Tuesday, Oct. 19, of being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent-in-Charge Mickey French.
The jury returned its guilty verdict against Samuel Ernest Byrd, 43, of Hamilton, after one day of testimony before Chief U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler. Byrd is prohibited from owning a firearm because he has a prior felony conviction of possession of a controlled substance in 2007, in the Circuit Court of Marion County, Alabama.
Evidence at trial showed that in May, 2020, local police officers responded to a home in Hamilton where Byrd lived with his mother after she was reported missing. Police found Byrd inside the house. In addition to recovering a .22 revolver from Byrd’s truck, police officers also recovered a rifle from the home.
The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years in prison.
The ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Canter and John B. Ward are prosecuting the case.