Latest news with #gunpossession
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (22) pleads guilty to having gun and ammunition
A 22-year-old man has pleaded guilty to having a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition in his possession in west Dublin last year. Jamie Moss, Meadowview, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10, appeared before the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to two offences. Advertisement He was arraigned before the court and replied 'guilty' to the charge that on February 16th, 2024 at Old Navan Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 in Dublin, he had in his possession and control a 9mm Makarov calibre semi-automatic pistol in such circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not have it in his possession or under control for a lawful purpose. On the same date, at the same address, he pleaded guilty to having in his possession a 9mm Makarov Sellier and Bellot round of ammunition in such circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not have it in his possession or under control for a lawful purpose. A barrister for the State told the court that a sentence hearing for a co-accused is listed for October 20th this year and said the matters can be joined together. She said Mr Moss is currently on bail and there was no issue with that continuing. Carol Doherty BL, for Moss, asked that a probation report be prepared in respect of her client, who is a young man who has just finished his education. Advertisement Ms Justice Karen O'Connor directed that a probation report be prepared and remanded Moss on continuing bail to October 20th for sentencing. In June this year, co-accused Sarah Jane Byrne (27) pleaded guilty to five offences. Byrne pleaded guilty that on February 16th 2024, at Old Navan Road in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, she had in her possession or under control a 9mm Makarov semi-automatic pistol and ammunition in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference she did not have them for a lawful purpose. On the same date, at her home address, she pleaded guilty to similar charges relating to possession of 27 rounds of Luger 9mm ammunition, a 12-gauge "over and under" sawn-off Beretta shotgun, and a Tokarev submachine gun.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- The Independent
Three Zizians face trial together in Maryland amid sprawling federal investigation
Three members of a violent cultlike group, including its alleged ringleader, will be tried together on charges of trespassing, gun and drug possession after police discovered them camping in box trucks in rural western Maryland. The group known as Zizians, which attracted a fringe contingent of computer scientists who connected online over their shared anarchist beliefs, has been linked to six killings spanning three states in recent years. The Maryland cases were originally scheduled for separate trials, but the defendants requested a joint proceeding despite concerns from their attorneys; a judge granted the request following a court hearing Tuesday afternoon. Jack 'Ziz' LaSota and her associates Michelle Zajko and Daniel Blank were arrested in February after a man told police that 'suspicious' people had parked two box trucks on his property and asked to camp there for a month, according to authorities. The trucks were found in a largely remote wooded area near the Maryland- Pennsylvania line, a mountainous region dotted with small towns. LaSota, a transgender woman who's regarded as the group leader, entered the courtroom Tuesday hoisting a brown paper bag filled with documents. Throughout the hearing, LaSota and Zajko repeatedly interjected to address the judge directly, disregarding conventional courtroom practices and occasionally speaking over their attorneys. The regular interruptions added to the already unusual circumstances of the case, which hinges on the findings of federal investigators despite being prosecuted in state court. The main issue discussed Tuesday was the timeline of the proceedings. After the trio was arrested in February on trespassing and illegal gun possession charges, prosecutors filed a superseding indictment last month with new allegations, including LSD possession. Defense attorneys argued prosecutors are trying to slow-walk the case while federal authorities continue investigating the Zizians. 'Their interest in delaying this trial may be to put something together in another jurisdiction,' said attorney George McKinley, who represents Zajko. Zajko also told Allegany County Circuit Court Judge Michael Twigg that she believes the delays are 'to stop the death penalty from being carried out in another case' — referring to Teresa Youngblut, another alleged group member who was arrested in the January shooting death of a border patrol agent in Vermont. Allegany County State's Attorney James Elliott vehemently denied the accusations that Maryland prosecutors are intentionally dragging their feet. He said federal investigators only recently provided his office with test results confirming the presence of LSD, which prompted the superseding indictment. He also objected to LaSota and Zajko addressing the court, saying it would drag out the proceedings even longer than anticipated. He estimated the joint trial could take at least two weeks. 'This is a motions hearing,' he said, exasperated. 'It isn't everybody gets to participate.' LaSota, meanwhile, claimed there was 'a double standard being applied' in terms of delaying the case. Several times she raised her hand and spoke haltingly, often pausing to search for the right words. At other times, the co-defendants whispered urgently among themselves. LaSota also faces a federal charge of being an armed fugitive. She possessed several firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, according to federal prosecutors in Maryland. Zajko faces federal firearms charges in Vermont because police allege she purchased weapons recovered in connection with the border patrol agent's killing. In January 2023, police questioned Zajko after her parents were found shot to death in their Pennsylvania home. She hasn't been charged in their deaths, though LaSota was arrested on obstruction and disorderly conduct charges after police again contacted Zajko at a Pennsylvania hotel. Pennsylvania state police records describe Blank as Zajko's housemate in Vermont. It's not clear how the trio ended up in the mountains of far western Maryland, where their presence in the close-knit rural community left locals perplexed. Police said they were wearing black tactical gear. Zajko recently filed a handwritten motion arguing the box trucks actually weren't on private property. It includes a meticulously drawn sketch showing the trucks parked along a public dirt road. She also claimed that the man who reported their presence to police never saw Blank. Blank's attorney, Rebecca Lechliter, argued during Tuesday's hearing that what started as a trespassing case was being blown out of proportion. She said she plans to continue advocating for Blank's release from jail pending trial.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Pensacola man sentenced for machine gun, drug trafficking after car chase
A Pensacola man who led Florida Highway Patrol troopers on a high-speed chase down Pensacola Boulevard in 2023 has been sentenced to spend nine years in a federal prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced June 24 that 21-year-old Antoine Booker was given the nine-year sentence for possessing a loaded gun and trafficking "large amounts" of marijuana. "The public should rest assured that law enforcement will not stand for armed drug traffickers endangering citizens in our streets," said U.S. Attorney John Heekin. "If you possess a machinegun to protect your drug trafficking operations, you should know that federal prison awaits you." FHP attempted to pull over Booker in December 2023 for driving a rental car with too much tint, but when the trooper attempted the traffic stop, Booker then fled. "Suddenly, the driver rapidly accelerated and swerved left towards the K-9 Trooper's vehicle who just arrived to assist with the traffic stop," the 2023 FHP report says. "The driver then swerved right into a Circle K gas station located at 7950 Pensacola Boulevard." Booker then allegedly led troopers on a brief chase before he flipped his own car. Following his arrest, Booker was charged in state court for fleeing law enforcement, possession of a machine gun and other drug related offenses. However, the Office of the State Attorney dropped those charges in February 2024 after he was federally indicted on the same charges. "Had it not been for law enforcement's training and determination, this armed suspect would have undoubtedly wreaked havoc in Northwest Florida," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. "We are proud of the partnerships we've built with Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Escambia County Sheriff's Office and our federal prosecutors." This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola man sentenced for machine gun, drug trafficking after chase
Washington Post
09-06-2025
- Washington Post
Wander Franco charged with gun possession as his trial on child sexual abuse charges continues
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who's currently on trial on charges including sexual abuse of a minor, was charged Sunday with illegal possession of a handgun, prosecutors said. Franco was arrested Nov. 10 in San Juan de la Maguana after an altercation in a parking lot . No one was injured during the fight, and the handgun, a semiautomatic Glock 19, was found in Franco's vehicle, according to a statement from the Dominican Public Prosecutor's Office.
National Post
04-06-2025
- General
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: Judge accuses officer of 'unconscious' anti-Black racism without direct evidence
Justice Renu Mandhane is one of Ontario's foremost judicial activists, so it should surprise no one that she'll stoop to using racism as a basis to let Black men off the hook for possessing illegal guns. Article content That's what happened at the end of March in the case of Robert Cameron, who had been pulled over and detained for having outstanding drug charges and a suspended license, and whose car, in the process, was discovered to be illegally housing an unlicensed firearm. Article content Article content The episode began when a Brampton police officer, Anand Gandhi, was notified by his cruiser's licence plate scanner flagged a nearby Jeep for a week-long impound due to the owner's active infractions. Given the pending charges, the officer called for backup just in case. He then approached Cameron's Jeep, identified him, handcuffed him, patted him down, and sat him in the back of the police car. Article content Article content 'Officer Gandhi specifically denied treating the accused differently or handcuffing him behind his back because of the way he looked, i.e. because he was a Black man,' wrote the judge. 'The officer maintained that it was his 'common practice' to handcuff and place suspended drivers in the back of his cruiser because it was a 'safe place' to speak with them.' Article content The judge noted that the officer had pulled over a woman earlier that day for driving on a medical suspension, but didn't cuff her or keep her in the police car. Her car, however, was not being impounded, and she wasn't said to have outstanding criminal charges. Article content After other officers arrived, the Jeep was searched for the alleged purpose of taking a pre-tow inventory. Some licence plates were found, which Cameron attributed to his girlfriend, as well as a gun, which was under a cargo mat covered by construction materials. Article content Mandhane didn't outright state that the gun was loaded, but she did note that ammunition was photographed by an officer after the weapon was made 'safe of any ammunition.' Article content The officer then placed Cameron under arrest for gun charges and attempted to help him reach his lawyer, who didn't pick up; 15 or so minutes later, he asked Cameron if 'everything in the vehicle' was his. (This, the Crown admitted, was an infringement of Cameron's Charter right to speak to counsel.) Article content The other alleged rights infringements were less clear-cut. Cameron's lawyer argued that he was unlawfully detained from the outset and that his car was subject to an unreasonable warrantless search, violating his respective Section 9 and 8 Charter rights. There is indeed precedent from the Supreme Court of Canada stating that it's wrong to detain a motorist in a police car without necessity (in that case, the driver didn't have outstanding drug charges) — but it's not enough to get evidence tossed if the officer operates in good faith. The Supreme Court of Canada and the Ontario Court of Appeal have also permitted warrantless inventory searches of cars in the past, but those precedents were not applied here.
