Hopewell Man Gets 5 Years for Possessing Firearm as Felon

A Hopewell man is headed behind bars for five years and five months after being caught with a loaded firearm in his vehicle.

Azontay Malik Perry, 27, of Hopewell, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The sentence was handed down today, [date].

According to court documents, on Nov. 19, 2022, Hopewell Police officers found Perry passed out in the driver seat of a BMW with the engine running in the intersection of Ashland Street and Oaklawn Boulevard. Officers awakened Perry and ordered him out of the vehicle. Perry ignored their commands and drove into the back of a parked police vehicle. Perry attempted to flee at high speed, but crashed into a dumpster at an apartment complex. Perry then fled on foot.

At the scene, officers observed a .40 caliber handgun on the floor of the vehicle. The firearm included an extended magazine with 27 rounds of ammunition. Officers later obtained a search warrant for the vehicle and recovered 18 grams of methamphetamine and 10.84 grams of fentanyl.

Perry has a history of convictions, including possession of schedule I or II drugs, possession of a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm while in possession of schedule I or II drugs, and monument damage, all dating back to 2016. In 2023, Perry was convicted of a probation violation related to his multiple 2016 convictions for not turning himself in on outstanding warrants and absconding from supervised probation. In 2019, Perry once again was convicted of possession of schedule I or II drugs, along with driving on a suspended license.

As a previously convicted felon, Perry cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.

U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber, Attorney General Jason Miyares, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, and Hopewell Police Chief Greg Taylor announced the sentence after Perry’s conviction. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon E. Schulz, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-106.