Michael Prescott Bobbitt, Gun Charge, North Carolina 2019

Grimy Times reported yesterday that a Fayetteville man was sentenced to 57 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with an August 2018 shooting.

According to court documents, Michael Prescott Bobbitt, 41, was charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm.  Bobbitt pled guilty on September 18, 2019.

On August 11, 2018, Bobbitt, who had a prior federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon, arrived at a Fayetteville convenience store.  As Bobbitt approached the entrance to the store, he engaged in a verbal altercation with several other individuals parked nearby.  Bobbitt escalated the altercation when he returned to his vehicle, retrieved a firearm and began to approach the other individuals.  The other individuals fired before Bobbitt was able to do so, and Bobbitt was shot several times. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) and Fayetteville Police Department (“FPD”) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany  prosecuted the case.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

On February 18, 2020, U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan handed down the 57-month sentence to Bobbitt.  The Eastern District of North Carolina announced the sentencing after the fact.

The defendant’s prior federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon and his illegal possession of a firearm in the August 2018 incident led to the lengthy prison sentence.  Bobbitt’s actions demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law, putting innocent lives at risk.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-CR-00090-FL.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/fayetteville-man-sentenced-57-months-gun-charge