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Press Release

Convicted Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

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

Jackson, TN- Robert Lee Blackwell, 35, of Dyersburg, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, on December 25, 2018, officers with the Dyersburg Police Department responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence in Dyersburg. Upon arriving at the home, an officer observed the defendant look out through a window in the door and then walk to another room. The officer began knocking more insistently until the other resident opened the door. The officer directed Blackwell to speak with other officers while he interviewed the other resident, who was later determined to be the victim of an assault committed by Blackwell. The victim advised that she and Blackwell had been arguing about her leaving to see her family for Christmas. Blackwell then put his hands around her throat, pushed her against the kitchen counter, and choked her. The officer noted bruising around her neck.

The victim then advised that Blackwell was in possession of a gun when the officers arrived, and he threw it in the room next to the front door when the officer began knocking on the door. Blackwell entered the home again and tried to speak with the victim while an officer was interviewing her. Blackwell resisted arrest as officers attempted to detain him. An officer was then required to deploy his taser on Blackwell to obtain his compliance.

Officers subsequently located Blackwell's firearm in the bedroom. The firearm was loaded with seven rounds of .25 caliber ammunition, and an officer located another round on the floor. A special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) examined the firearm and identified it as a Lorcin L25, .25 caliber pistol. The agent also determined that the firearm was manufactured outside of Tennessee and that the serial number of the gun had been obliterated beyond recovery.

Blackwell is a convicted felon and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under state and federal law.

On March 29, 2022, United States Chief District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Blackwell to 84 months' imprisonment to be followed by two years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

The Dyersburg Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) investigated this case.

Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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Contact

Cherri Green
Public Affairs
(901) 544-4231

Updated April 1, 2022