Demarius Chamon Johnson has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentence was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and delivered by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
Johnson, aged 35 from Jacksonville, was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 3, 2023. He pleaded guilty to the charge on January 24, 2025.
The case dates back to September 17, 2021, when officers from the North Little Rock Police Department found a stolen vehicle at the Fairview Inn in North Little Rock. Surveillance footage showed someone parking the vehicle and entering a room on the second floor. Officers approached the open door of this room and saw Johnson standing nearby. Inside the room was a firearm located next to a three-year-old child lying on one of the beds. As officers detained Johnson regarding the stolen car, he admitted ownership of the firearm saying, "that gun’s mine, it belongs to me." The Colt Commander .45 caliber pistol had one round in its chamber and six rounds in its magazine and had been reported stolen from Little Rock.
Johnson is classified as an armed career criminal due to at least three prior convictions for violent felonies or serious drug offenses including residential burglary, attempted residential burglary, and felony drug possession and distribution.
In addition to his prison term, Judge Miller sentenced Johnson to three years of supervised release. Federal sentences do not include parole.
The investigation involved collaboration between ATF and the North Little Rock Police Department with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Jegley.