South Carolina – A South Carolina man with a long criminal record will spend more than six years in federal prison after police found him with a weapon he wasn’t allowed to have.
The sentencing comes after a traffic incident last summer that soon turned into a federal investigation.
According to the Department of Justice, Brentton Timmons, 30, was given a term in federal court after admitting to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The case began on August 24, 2024, when deputies from the local Sheriff’s Office were doing a routine traffic safety inspection.
Investigators say that Timmons tried to evade the checkpoint by quickly driving onto a gravel road, which attracted the attention of deputies who were nearby.
Not long after, the police pulled over the car. As the deputies got closer to the car, they saw that there was an open container of alcohol in the cupholder.
That finding led to a more thorough search of the car. During the search, deputies found a loaded gun stashed under the driver’s seat.
At the scene, Timmons admitted that the gun was his and that he also had the alcohol that was found in the car. Because he had a criminal past, the admissions had major consequences. Federal law strictly prohibits individuals with certain felony convictions from owning or possessing firearms.
The Chester man has a long history of criminal activity, including shooting a gun into a home, first-degree assault and battery, pointing and presenting a gun, and having cocaine with the purpose to sell it. Each of those offenses independently bars him from legally possessing a gun under federal statutes.
The case was later taken up by federal authorities. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives worked alongside the Chester County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the incident and build the prosecution. Federal prosecutors ultimately brought the case before the U.S. District Court.
United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Timmons to a total of 77 months in federal prison. In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered a three-year period of supervised release to follow his incarceration. Federal officials emphasized that there is no parole in the federal prison system, meaning Timmons will be required to serve the sentence as imposed, subject only to limited credit for good behavior.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall handled the prosecution. Authorities said the sentence reflects the seriousness of firearm offenses involving convicted felons, particularly those with histories of violent crimes.
