Columbia man going to prison for multiple gun crimes, prosecutor says
A Columbia man is going to prison after pleading guilty to multiple gun crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
David Bryant III, 25, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and possession of a firearm by a felon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Bryant was arrested on an outstanding warrant Jan. 28, 2020, after officers with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force found him in the passenger seat of a vehicle on Wilkes Road, according to the release. That’s in the area between U.S. 21/North Main Street and S.C. 277.
The officers smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle, which the driver confirmed was present, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Officers then searched the vehicle and found marijuana as well as a 12-gauge shotgun, a .40 caliber pistol, and a 9mm pistol with the serial number completely removed, according to the release.
Bryant confirmed all of the guns belonged to him, and that the .40 caliber pistol was given to him after it was stolen by a friend, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Bryant, who was a member of a gang, had prior convictions for first-degree assault and battery and discharging a firearm into a dwelling, which disqualified him from possessing a firearm or ammunition, according to the release.
Following his nearly four-year prison sentence, Bryant has been ordered to serve three years of court supervision, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia Police Department.
Bryant is also facing a pending state charge for breach of peace (high and aggravated) from an April 2021 arrest, Richland County court records show.
In 2018, Bryant pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful carrying of a pistol and refusal to stop on police command, according to court records.
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This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 1:02 PM.
