Sakwon Artavas Bowser, 29, has been sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Bowser entered a guilty plea on February 18, 2025.
Court records reveal that in June 2024, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) sought Bowser for outstanding warrants related to common law robbery. On June 6, 2024, officers attempted to stop Bowser after he was seen leaving a local mobile home park. Instead of complying, Bowser drove through a restaurant parking lot and accelerated rapidly. He was pursued by an officer while driving recklessly at speeds reaching 60 mph in a 35-mph zone. The chase continued through residential yards until Bowser abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot.
During the pursuit, HCSO observed Bowser with a backpack which he discarded in a wooded area. Inside the backpack were several baggies of marijuana packaged for distribution, a loaded Glock 17 handgun, a digital scale, and U.S. currency.
Bowser’s criminal history includes a felony conviction from 2018 for conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses.
The announcement was made by Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina following sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The investigation involved the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Dixon prosecuting the case.
Further details can be accessed via the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or through PACER under Case No. 4:24-CR-00074.
