Clarksville Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – June 5, 2019 – Willie Collins, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court, to 15 years in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee. Collins was indicted in March 2017 and pleaded guilty in December 2017.
“This is yet another example of our commitment to work with our local law enforcement partners and remove dangerous and repeat offenders from the streets of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Cochran. We will continue our aggressive enforcement efforts in partnership with the Clarksville Police Department and the ATF to ensure the safety and security of this community.”
According to charging documents and court records, Collins was arrested by Clarksville police officers on May 24, 2016, after responding to a call about shots being fired on Chapel St., in Clarksville. When responding officers arrived and encountered Collins, he walked away from them and placed what was later found to be a Beretta 9mm handgun on the top of the tire of a vehicle parked nearby. Officers also found several spent shell casings in close proximity and a car that had sustained damage from gunfire. Video surveillance later obtained also showed Collins firing a handgun toward an individual with whom he had been in an argument.
Collins had previously been convicted of several felonies, including possession with intent to sell cocaine, robbery, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and other crimes.
In sentencing Collins, Chief U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr., found that Collins’ criminal history qualified him as an Armed Career Criminal and subject to sentence enhancement.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Clarksville Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Montminy.
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