A federal jury has found Anton Montes Vernon, a 31-year-old resident of Ahoskie, guilty of illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The verdict was delivered in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Court records and trial evidence show that on November 9, 2023, Vernon was found with a loaded 9mm pistol in his jeans pocket. Law enforcement officers from the Down East Drug & Violent Crime Task Force were conducting saturation patrols in high crime areas across Northampton, Hertford, Gates, and Bertie Counties. During one such patrol in Ahoskie—a town of about 4,891 people located in Hertford County—officers noticed Vernon and several others standing outside a vehicle at an intersection. Officers approached the group after detecting the odor of marijuana and performed safety frisks on those present. This led to the discovery of the firearm on Vernon.
Vernon had previously been convicted by North Carolina State prosecutors for three separate breaking and entering offenses. These convictions qualified him as an Armed Career Criminal under federal sentencing guidelines.
ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones commented on the case: “The blatant disregard a career criminal has for law and order poses a serious threat to public safety. Our job is to put a stop to their cycle of crime and violence, and we’ll continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our communities from repeat offenders.”
With this conviction, Vernon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The announcement was made by Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, following Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II’s acceptance of the verdict. The investigation involved the Ahoskie Police Department, the Down East Drug Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jaren Kelly and Phil Aubart prosecuted the case.
