Felon in Mansfield Found Guilty of Illegal Possession of a Firearm
Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that a federal jury returned a guilty verdict on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, against Defendant Terry A. Melton Jr., 31, of Mansfield, Ohio, following a two-day trial before Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr in Cleveland.
Melton was convicted of possession of a firearm as a felon.
According to court documents, on August 14, 2020, law enforcement investigators approached a vehicle and occupant suspected of having been involved in drug trafficking activity in the Mansfield area. Authorities detained the occupant as they believed the individual to have an active arrest warrant. Inside the vehicle, investigators observed a 9mm semiautomatic pistol on the driver-side floorboard. The firearm was loaded and bore an obliterated serial number.
Melton is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous convictions of distribution of cocaine and cocaine base, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, all in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Melton is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25, 2022, and faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Mansfield Police Department, Richland County METRICH Drug Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter E. Daly.
