Milledgeville man sentenced after ‘tense standoff’ with officers
A Baldwin County man will serve more than 11 years in prison after being found guilty by a jury of possessing a gun as a convicted felon during a tense standoff with deputies.
Dormaine Mitchell, of Milledgeville, appeared for sentencing in front of Judge C. Ashley Royal Tuesday morning after being convicted of one count of possessing a firearm by a convicted felon in April. He was arrested after sparking a “tense standoff” with Baldwin County deputies after he was caught with a pistol during a traffic stop in October 2022, according to the prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
At the time, he had been convicted of aggravated assault, which made it illegal for him to possess the pistol.
Exchange between Mitchell and the sentencing judge
Mitchell expressed his concerns to Royal before being sentenced, telling the judge he believed the jury was not given all of the evidence during his trial. He also said his past criminal history, the fact that he possessed cocaine during the 2022 traffic stop and the gun he had on him was stolen had unjustly made him face the possibility of a higher sentence, when the only crime noted in his indictment was for illegally possessing a gun as a convicted felon.
Royal told the Milledgeville man that his criminal history would not impact his sentence, but the theft and cocaine would.
Mitchell also told Royal that “the court is being misled by the government (who is) using the Constitution for their own personal gain.” Royal reminded him that 12 jurors were the ones who found him guilty of possessing the gun.
Royal eventually determined that Mitchell is a “threat to the public,” and that the events that led to the guilty verdict showed he has violent tendencies and were disturbing. He also spoke on his criminal history that echo the violent tendencies that led to this case.
Mitchell was sentenced to 11 years and eight months, but will receive credit for time served since his arrest in 2022. Once he serves his sentence, he will serve three years of supervised release.
‘You better be glad it didn’t go bad’
Mitchell was pulled over by a Baldwin County deputy on Oct. 13, 2022, after she saw his vehicle running off the side of the road and into the incoming traffic on Vinson Highway near Laboratory Road, according to federal prosecutors. When the deputy stopped the vehicle, she noticed that Mitchell smelled of alcohol and slurred his speech.
The deputy asked if there were weapons in his car, which Mitchell denied. However, she saw a pistol with an extended magazine in between the driver’s seat and the center console.
She pulled out her weapon and commanded Mitchell to put his hands on the steering wheel, but he lowered his right hand instead. It prompted the deputy to take cover and call for backup.
Mitchell placed the firearm on the passenger’s seat.
He was taken into custody after backup deputies arrived and arrested him.
“You better be glad it didn’t go bad,” Mitchell told the Baldwin County deputy, according to federal prosecutors.
