William Daniel Sewell, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Minnesota 2013

Bloomington Man Faces Felon in Possession Charges

MINNEAPOLIS—A 26-year-old felon from Bloomington, Minnesota, has been indicted for possessing firearms on two occasions.

William Daniel Sewell was charged with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to a law enforcement affidavit, police responded to a reported fight inside a Minneapolis restaurant on March 29, 2013.

At the scene, officers also checked out a nearby parking lot, where a group of men had gathered. As they approached the group, one of the men, later identified as Sewell, started to walk away. When police ordered him to stop, the man began to run, crossing traffic on Lyndale Avenue South. Officers pursued him and saw a nine-millimeter, semi-automatic pistol fall from his person onto the street.

The indictment also alleges that on October 12, 2012, Sewell possessed a nine-millimeter, semi-automatic pistol and a .40-caliber pistol. Police stopped Sewell’s vehicle on a traffic violation, and saw the .40-caliber pistol on the floor by the driver’s side seat. Then, when they searched the vehicle, they found the nine-millimeter pistol in the glove compartment.

Sewell’s prior convictions include second-degree burglary in Anoka County (2010) and fleeing a police officer in Hennepin County (2010). Because he is a felon, Sewell is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition at any time.

If convicted, Sewell faces a potential maximum penalty of ten years in federal prison. Any sentence would be determined by a federal district court judge. The case is the result of an investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The case was charged federally through Project Exile Minneapolis, a city-wide effort to reduce gun violence. Through Project Exile, the Minneapolis Police Department and the ATF work together to apprehend serial criminals for violations of gun laws. Then, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office teams up with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine where those offenders will most effectively be prosecuted – state or federal court.

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