RALEIGH – A Four Oaks man was sentenced Thursday to 120 months in prison for unlawfully possessing ammunition.
According to court documents, on April 28, 2018, officers with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglary in progress. When officers arrived they observed several suspects flee the area on foot. While in pursuit of the individuals, a deputy observed Lamont Turrentine run towards a church building. Turrentine fired multiple shots at the pursuing deputy, hitting his patrol vehicle. Turrentine then took cover behind a building before firing multiple shots at the officer again. Turrentine evaded officers for a short time before being apprehended.
Officers recovered a Springfield 9mm firearm on the ground behind the church in close proximity to where the defendant fled. A ballistics expert matched the firearm found on the path to the shell casings that were found where the shoot-out took place.
Turrentine was found guilty by a jury on February 19, 2020. Prior to April 2018, the defendant was convicted of multiple felony offenses including possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and cocaine distribution.
This case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
