Desmond Antonio Hines, Illegal Possession of a Firearm, North Carolina 2020

Wilmington, North Carolina – A federal jury convicted Wilmington career offender Desmond Antonio Hines, aka ‘Head,’ of illegally possessing a gun as a felon after law enforcement recovered a loaded Glock handgun with an extended magazine that Hines tossed in azalea bushes before he could be arrested on a pending federal drug indictment.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Wilmington Police stopped Hines for traffic violations on November 7, 2020. Upon approaching the car, the officer noticed an odor of marijuana and asked Hines to step out of the car to conduct a search. A blunt and some marijuana were found in the car, and during the search of Hines, the officer felt what he believed to be a metal object between the defendant’s legs. While the officer attempted to secure handcuffs, Hines tried to flee but was tackled by the officer. A subsequent search of Hines conducted at the police station uncovered a bag containing 10 oxycodone pills and about 17 grams of crack cocaine.

On March 31, 2022, Detectives attempted to arrest Hines on federal charges related to the November 7 incident. Officers surveilled him driving a new Chrysler minivan. At one point during surveillance, officers lost sight of Hines after he made a series of evasive maneuvers. After officers located Hines and placed him into custody, 911 dispatch reported a call from area residents who saw a man meeting Hines’ description and driving a minivan stop the vehicle, walk to a patch of azalea bushes, and toss something into the bushes before driving off. Upon pulling back the bushes, witnesses saw a firearm. Police responded to the scene, which was approximately ½ mile from where Hines was arrested and recovered a semi-automatic Glock 27 Gen 4 .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine containing 20 live rounds of ammunition. Ten of those rounds were a distinctive, red-tipped round known as Hornady Critical Defense.

The defendant has previous convictions for drug trafficking and assault, including a prior federal drug conviction. Hines, age 35, is considered a career offender and is facing up to 15 years in prison for this charge when sentenced later this year. At that time, he will also be sentenced for a drug charge he pled guilty to last year, a crime punishable with up to 30 years in prison.

“Azaleas have long held special significance to the City of Wilmington. Today they held the key to solving a crime – the critical trial evidence that took an armed felon off the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr.

Defendant: Desmond Antonio Hines, Age: 35, City: Wilmington, State: North Carolina, Charges: Illegally Possessing a Firearm as a Felon, Sentence: Up to 15 years in prison, Current Status: Awaiting sentencing

Keywords: Desmond Antonio Hines, Wilmington, North Carolina, Illegal Firearm Possession, Career Offender, Gun Crime, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr.

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