Felon Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Gun and Drug Crimes
Defendant on Department of Corrections Supervision Caught with Firearm and Admits Trafficking Prescription Narcotics
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 05, 2012 |
A convicted felon who was living in Lacey, Washington, at the time of his arrest was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Dartania Davis, 34, pleaded guilty in August 2012 to possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Davis has prior convictions for assault, drug possession, and illegal gun possession which bar him from possessing a firearm. At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle told him, “Deterring you is important, as is deterring others living the dangerous lifestyle” of dealing drugs and illegally possessing firearms.
According to records filed in the case, the FBI South Sound Gang Task Force (SSGTF) began looking into Davis’ activities in May 2012. A task force officer determined that Davis was on state supervision for a prior conviction and had reported an address in Pierce County, Washington. Further investigation revealed that Davis was living in Lacey, Washington and had moved out of Pierce County without informing his probation officer. Davis was arrested May 25, 2012, for that violation. A search by probation officers of Davis’ car and residence turned up 60 pills containing oxycodone and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Davis was taken into federal custody in June 2012.
In their memo to the court, prosecutors said Davis had shown an “inability or unwillingness to obey the law even while under court supervision post-conviction. Simply put, that continued illegal conduct—which again surfaced in this case, where he was in violation of his DOC supervision in multiple ways—show his disinterest in following even the simplest of society’s rules....His possession of a gun at the same time he was trafficking in oxycodone demonstrates a serious and very real potential for more trouble in the future.”
The case was investigated by the FBI South Sound Gang Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gregory A. Gruber.
Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Emily Langlie (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov.