Department of Justice

Jackson, Miss. – Roderick Dunshaw Tingle, 38, of Meridian, Mississippi, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Kurt Thielhorn, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Tingle was also ordered to pay a $1,000.00 fine.

On March 22, 2019, Meridian Police Department officers responded to a residential burglary alarm at a house on 23rd Avenue in Meridian, Mississippi. Officers found that a window in the back door had been broken and the back door was open. When the officers entered the house to see if anyone was inside, they found marijuana on the kitchen counter along with baggies and scales. A search warrant was obtained for the home and three pounds of marijuana was found along with six firearms. The firearms consisted of four pistols and two assault-style rifles.

Various pieces of identifying evidence, such as family pictures and birth certificates, lead officers to believe that the house was occupied by Roderick Dunshaw Tingle. Various neighbors gave statements indicating they believed that drug sales might be occurring at the house, due to the large number of cars stopping by very frequently. A neighbor also identified Tingle as the resident of the house. When interviewed by law enforcement officers, Tingle denied that the guns or the marijuana belonged to him. Tingle gave a name and telephone number for a person he said owned the guns. A records check showed that account for that phone number was in the name of Roderick D. Tingle.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Meridian Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles W. Kirkham.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Project Guardian. EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.

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