Felon Caught with Firearm in Hotel Room

Columbia Man Pleads Guilty to Gun Charge

Columbia, SC – In a shocking case of a felon caught with a firearm, 35-year-old Rondell Lakevis Waiters plead guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in federal court.

According to United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon, Waiters was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to his prior state drug convictions. The evidence presented in court showed that on April 11, 2018, deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department executed a lawful search warrant on a hotel room in Columbia after making an undercover buy of narcotics from that location.

During the execution of the search warrant, deputies encountered Waiters and recovered two firearms inside the hotel room. After being advised of his rights, Waiters admitted to possessing one of the firearms.

Waiters now faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release on the firearm charge. However, if he is deemed an armed career criminal based upon his extensive prior record, he faces a statutory mandatory minimum 15 years imprisonment with a maximum of life, a fine of $250,000, and 5 years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused on aggressively prosecuting firearm cases to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer.

Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon of the Columbia office handled the case. This marks another victory for Project CeaseFire in its efforts to combat gun violence in South Carolina.

Court records show that Waiters will be sentenced after the presentence report is prepared by the United States Probation Office. Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten, of Columbia, will impose the sentence.