Jackson Man Gets 9 Years for Illegal Firearm Possession

Armed and dangerous — that’s how Rodrecas Tims, 33, of Jackson, presented himself the night federal agents closed in. On November 1, 2018, Tims wasn’t just breaking drug laws — he was walking armed with two concealed pistols, one of them stolen, fresh off a prior history of armed robbery and illegal gun possession. Yesterday, the consequences caught up with him: 108 months in federal prison, handed down by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate.

Tims’ criminal turn began in a Jackson parking lot when officers from the Jackson Police Department approached him after catching the pungent scent of marijuana. Inside his car’s ashtray, they found the telltale remains of a cannabis-laced cigar, visible to the naked eye. But the real danger emerged when officers discovered two handguns tucked into the waistband of Tims’ pants — a loaded arsenal carried by a man already barred from owning any firearm under federal law.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) took the lead in the federal investigation, given Tims’ status as a repeat offender. With prior convictions for armed robbery in 2000 and 2005 — and a separate 2005 conviction for unlawful firearm possession — Tims was legally prohibited from handling any weapon. Yet he chose to ignore that restriction, placing him squarely in the crosshairs of federal sentencing enhancements for felons with guns.

On November 27, 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Tims on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The case moved swiftly through the system, and on February 14, 2019, Tims stood before Judge Wingate and pleaded guilty. No jury trial, no excuses — just a clear admission of guilt in a system that shows little mercy to repeat gun offenders.

Along with his 9-year prison term, Tims was sentenced to three years of supervised release upon his eventual return to society. He was also slapped with a $1,500 fine — a small price compared to the years he’ll spend behind bars. Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant United States Attorney Bert Carraway, pushed for a sentence that matched the severity of the threat Tims posed while armed and on the streets.

U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and ATF Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols emphasized the collaboration between local and federal law enforcement that led to Tims’ conviction. “Felons with firearms fuel violence in our communities,” Hurst said. “This sentence sends a message: if you’re a convicted felon and you carry a gun — especially a stolen one — expect federal prison time.”

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