Milledgeville man in ‘tense standoff’ with officers found guilty over gun charge
A Baldwin County man was found guilty of possessing a gun as a convicted felon after a “tense standoff” with deputies, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
A jury found on Tuesday that Dormaine Mitchell of Milledgeville had a pistol with an extended magazine on him during a traffic stop in 2022, even though he was previously convicted of aggravated assault — making it illegal for him to possess a firearm, prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia said Wednesday. His trial started Monday and ended Tuesday.
He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, they said.
A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
On Oct. 13, 2022, a Baldwin County deputy saw Mitchell in a vehicle running off the side of the road and into incoming traffic on Vinson Highway near Laboratory Road, federal prosecutors said. The deputy stopped the vehicle and noticed that Mitchell smelled of alcohol and was slurring his speech.
Even though Mitchell told the deputy that he did not have weapons in the car, the deputy noticed a Glock 22 pistol with an extended magazine in between the driver’s seat and the center console.
The deputy, after pulling her weapon out, commanded Mitchell to put his hands on the steering wheel, but he lowered his right hand instead, federal prosecutors said. It prompted the deputy to take cover and call for backup.
He placed the firearm on the passenger’s seat.
When backup deputies arrived and took Mitchell into custody, he told the deputy, “You better be glad it didn’t go bad,” federal prosecutors said.
“We are relieved that no one was injured in this incident and thankful to the officers who effectively managed a tense and dangerous situation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker.
