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Press Release

Serial Gun Offender Sentenced To 11.5 Years

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Michigan

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten today announced that Theron Darrell Perry II, 32, of Benton Harbor, was sentenced to a total of 138 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker also imposed a 3-year period of supervised release to follow Perry’s incarceration.                

          “My office is focused on improving the safety of our communities and that includes reducing gun violence,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “One way to get guns off of our streets is by identifying repeat offenders who are illegally possessing firearms.”

          In 2017, Judge Jonker sentenced Perry to 68 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was released from prison in January 2022 and was arrested for possession of a firearm in April. He was released from state custody shortly thereafter and acquired another firearm in May 2022 by having a friend purchase it on his behalf. When officers tried to arrest him later in May, he fled and while fleeing, hit another car, lost control of his vehicle, and crashed into a bank.

Theron Darrell Perry II

          Judge Jonker sentenced Perry to 114 months in prison for the recent conduct and 24 months in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release on his 2017 offense. The sentences were imposed consecutively, meaning Perry will serve a total of 138 months in prison.

          In imposing sentence, Judge Jonker noted that his prior prison term “did not deter Mr. Perry in the least,” that he was arrested with a firearm and when released he immediately went and got another firearm, which the court found “incredible.” Judge Jonker noted that Perry had a “long history of firearms and other criminal conduct.”

          “For years, this defendant has illegally obtained firearms and posed a potential threat to the citizens of Benton Harbor and its surrounding communities with impunity,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “I want to thank our partners on the Benton Harbor FBI Safe Streets Task Force for all of their hard work on this investigation and for their efforts to keep our communities safe.”

          This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

          This case was investigated by the Benton Harbor FBI Safe Streets Task Force, which includes law enforcement officers​ from the FBI, Michigan State Police, Berrien County Sheriff's Department, Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety, Benton Township Police Department, Pokagon Band Tribal Police Department, and the Michigan Department of Corrections.

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Updated November 1, 2022

Topics
Violent Crime
Firearms Offenses