Vernon Evander Green II, Felon in Possession of Firearm, Virginia 2020

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – In a shocking turn of events, a local man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, in connection with a January 2020 traffic stop that resulted in the death of a Newport News Police Officer.

Vernon Evander Green II, 38, of Newport News, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and 2 years in prison for felony possession of a controlled substance. Both prison terms will run concurrently to each other.

The charges stem from Green’s involvement in a traffic stop on January 23, 2020, at the Monitor Merrimac Overlook. Police responded to the area after reports of a vehicle with two occupants who appeared to be smoking marijuana. The officers found Green in the driver’s seat and asked him to exit the vehicle, but he failed to comply and instead fled the scene in his vehicle.

A later search resulted in the recovery of marijuana in the vehicle, along with a soft cooler bag containing a firearm with Green’s fingerprint on the magazine. Green admitted he had previously been convicted of a felony and was not allowed to possess a firearm.

Green’s sentence was handed down in federal court, but the court ordered that the federal sentence run consecutively to any sentence that may be imposed in the future for Green’s separate pending charges involving felony homicide in Newport News and bank robbery in North Carolina.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick and Lisa R. McKeel. The investigation was conducted by the ATF’s Washington Field Division and the Newport News Police Department.

Mandatory Facts:

Defendant/Respondent: Vernon Evander Green II
Criminal Charges: Being a felon in possession of a firearm and felony possession of a controlled substance
City and State: Newport News, Virginia
Exact Date: January 23, 2020
Sentence or Outcome: 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and 2 years in prison for felony possession of a controlled substance, with both prison terms running concurrently.

Related Federal Cases