⏱ 2 min read
Jadiah Dawontra Hines, a 20-year-old felon from Southeast Missouri, was caught with a fully automatic pistol and sentenced to 46 months in prison. The incident occurred when Hines posted a photo on social media of himself with a small child, pointing the Glock .40-caliber pistol in the air. The gun had been reported stolen in Scott County, and Hines had a history of prior convictions for stealing firearms and a vehicle. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John A. Ross handed down the sentence after Hines pleaded guilty in March to two counts: possession of a machine gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Hines’ guilty plea revealed that the Glock pistol had a ‘switch,’ or machine gun conversion device, attached, rendering it a fully automatic weapon. The Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, which is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to combat violent crime and protect communities.
Hines’ history of crime includes prior convictions for stealing firearms in New Madrid and Mississippi counties and for stealing a vehicle in Scott County. He also awaits sentencing in circuit court for violating his probation in those cases. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis.
The sentencing of Hines marks a significant step in the efforts to combat violent crime in Southeast Missouri. Operation Take Back America aims to streamline efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood to protect communities from perpetrators of violent crime.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: Missouri
- Location: MO
- Source: DOJ Press Release
