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Escambia Man Gets 86 Months Federal Prison On Firearms Charges
April 17, 2017
An Escambia County man is headed to federal prison on firearms charges.
Awald Edward Pokrant Jr., 50, was sentenced to 86 months in prison after pleading guilty to unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing an unregistered firearm.
In October 2016, law enforcement officers who responded to an armed disturbance observed Pokrant fleeing the scene. After a high-speed chase, the officers pulled Pokrant over and transported him back to the location of the incident. At the scene, an injured and bleeding victim told officers that Pokrant had struck her with a hammer. Law enforcement officers observed blood splatter in several locations in the house and recovered a hammer.
A search of the house revealed firearms and ammunition. The victim later told officers that Pokrant might have moved additional firearms to a friend’s house. Law enforcement officers recovered eight firearms and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition from this other location.
The case resulted from investigations by the ATF Gun Crime Response Team, which includes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Pensacola Police Department.
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10 Responses to “Escambia Man Gets 86 Months Federal Prison On Firearms Charges”
I knew Awald as a young man. He saved me from getting the crap beaten out of me once.
CONSIDERING:
“So how does this affect others who own their firearms living in the house? Just because one person is a felon shouldn’t affect other family members and strip them of their weapons rights !”
You could claim the baby owned the firearms and ammunition as a way to sidestep the law. Some jury might buy it by considering it a reasonable claim. After all, somebody with a grudge could plant a gun and some ammo at the home of a convicted felon and then “rat him out” to the police and get him sent to prison — and that’s even without a baby to blame.
Note this question wouldn’t have arisen if he hadn’t been hitting people with a hammer.
By the way, even though you aren’t required to do so, you COULD register the possession of a firearm for insurance purposes. It is also possible for a weapon to be registered without the owner being registered. I don’t know that it is done, but it is possible.
David for Hammer Control
“We hold that a proper claim of the constitutional privilege against self-incrimination provides a full defense to prosecutions either for failure to register a firearm under § 5841 or for possession of an unregistered firearm under § 5851.”
https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Haynes_v._United_States_(390_U.S._85)/Opinion_of_the_Court
“Convicted felons are not allowed to possess firearms in the state of Florida with penalties up to 15 years in prison depending on the circumstances.”
So how does this affect others who own their firearms living in the house? Just because one person is a felon shouldn’t affect other family members and strip them of their weapons rights !
To me, that’s a law that just got endorsed for all felons and I tell you something, depending on the crime – not all felons should have to abide by this.
In the past, I’ve been critical of the courts for not punishing convicted felons who choose to illegally possess firearms. Not this time… 7+ years is a long time when you don’t have that much time left.
Convicted felons are not allowed to possess firearms in the state of Florida with penalties up to 15 years in prison depending on the circumstances. Registration is a moot point unless rights have been restored and the firearm falls under the category of antique.
A class III firearm requires background check, registration, and a tax stamp provided by ATF. A Florida legal rifle or shotgun can be made into this class by shortening the barrel to shorter than required 16″, thus now creating a weapon which requires the additional registration. This may be the case here.
He’s a convictcted felon. You have to register in that situation.
How can he be charged with posessing an unregistered firearm when Florida is an non-registration state?
Other charges I understand, but not that one.
how can he be charged “possessing an unregistered firearm” ? I thought in florida you didn’t have to register guns? just wondering ..but I am glad they got him off the streets!