Justice Towan Roundtree, 27, of West Columbia, was sentenced to 77 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition this week. Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie of Columbia imposed the sentence.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Casey Rankin Smith of the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office prosecuted the case.

On February 7, 2019, an officer with the West Columbia Police Department conducted a traffic stop on North Street in West Columbia after seeing the driver of the vehicle commit a traffic violation. The officer made contact with the driver and noticed the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The backseat passenger, after giving the officer false identification, was determined to be Roundtree.  

A search of the vehicle uncovered a quantity of marijuana, three handgun magazines, and 238 rounds of miscellaneous ammunition.  During an officer pat-down of Roundtree, a fully loaded Kel-Tec P32 .32 caliber handgun was found concealed on his person.  Approximately two grams of crack and a quantity of marijuana and Xanax pills were also located on his person.  Roundtree was arrested on state charges and thereafter, a federal warrant was issued. 

Federal law prohibits Roundtree from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior state convictions for strong armed robbery and burglary second degree.  At the time of the current offense, Roundtree was on state probation.  Roundtree is a validated member of a street gang.

The case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.