Four-time Felon Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Federal Prison for Being Found Unlawfully in Possession of a Firearm
INDIANAPOLIS – TorVon Davis, 31, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents, on July 6, 2021, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police (IMPD) detective conducting surveillance near east 46th Street, in Indianapolis, observed Davis pull into a gas station and park near a gas pump. The detective saw Davis exit the vehicle and observed that he had a firearm in his waistband. The detective also saw that Davis’ vehicle had a tinted license plate. The detective drove through the parking lot and was able to identify the license plate number, which was expired. Davis returned to the vehicle and drove towards 46th Street before turning onto Arlington, making several traffic infractions along the way.
The detective radioed to two uniformed patrol cars in the area advising them of Davis’ traffic violations and informed them that Davis was armed. A uniformed police officer in a fully marked police car located Davis, who was driving 60 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour speed zone and initiated a traffic stop. Davis continued driving on Arlington and stopped after turning onto 41st Street. The officer approached the vehicle and identified Davis before asking for his license and registration. The officer asked Davis if he had any weapons in the vehicle, in which Davis falsely replied that he did not.
The officer returned to his vehicle and determined that Davis did not have a valid handgun permit in the state of Indiana. The officer was able to view photos, sent to him by the detective, of Davis entering the gas station with a handgun in his waistband and wearing the same clothes he was wearing at the time of the traffic stop. Davis was escorted out of the vehicle and placed in handcuffs. Davis admitted to the officer that he did not have a valid firearm permit and told the officer that he’d find the firearm in the glove box. The officer located a Ruger-57 semiautomatic handgun in the glove box. Prior to transporting Davis to jail, Davis was searched, and the officer found a small bag of marijuana in Davis’ right sock.
Davis is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms due to his four prior felony convictions. Davis was previously convicted of three felony charges of resisting law enforcement in 2014, 2015 and 2018 and one felony charge of burglary in 2018.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division, made the announcement.
ATF investigated the case in conjunction with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker. As part of the sentence, Judge Barker ordered that Davis be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence D. Hilton who prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
