Romar Leshawn Bartee, Jr., Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, North Carolina 2020

Romar Leshawn Bartee, Jr., a 25-year-old Raleigh man, has been convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, a federal crime that carries significant prison time.

A federal jury delivered the guilty verdict yesterday, following a trial that presented evidence of Bartee’s involvement in the crime. On April 15, 2020, Raleigh Police Department officers stopped a black Dodge Charger with heavily tinted windows at the Sheetz gas station located at 5200 New Bern Ave. The vehicle’s front windshield was heavily tinted, making it impossible for officers to see inside.

During the traffic stop, an officer noticed that the front passenger, later identified as Bartee, exited the vehicle and quickly walked away, carrying a red bag and wearing a green sweatshirt. The officer observed Bartee walk around the left side of the Sheetz building and notified other units of his description and direction of travel.

Responding officers located Bartee at 1030 Rogers Lane, but he was no longer carrying the red bag or wearing the green sweatshirt. Officers combed the area and found the red bag inside a trash can near the Sheetz building. Inside the bag, they discovered 153 pills with Xanax stamped on each one, miscellaneous clothing, and a loaded Glock Model 17, 9mm pistol with 17-9mm rounds of ammunition.

The investigation was led by the Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith prosecuted the case, which is now set for sentencing in October of this year. Bartee faces up to 120 months in prison for the crime.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III accepted the verdict. The case was prosecuted in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, with case number 5:20-cr-00495-D.

Bartee’s conviction serves as a reminder of the consequences of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The public is urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.

For more information on the case, visit the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or search for case number 5:20-cr-00495-D on PACER.

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