Three men arrested by the Jefferson Police Department are facing felony firearm charges for bringing unregistered weapons — including a silencer — across state lines.
David Judge, 35, Zachary Griffin, 24, and Lawrence Dawson, 34, all of Greenville, S.C., were in a speeding 1999 Lincoln Town Car on March 30 when a Jefferson officer stopped it on Interstate 85.
Judge and Dawson have previous felony convictions in other states, according to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on Thursday. Griffin had been arrested on a driving charge, but had no felony convictions.
The three defendants made an initial court appearance in federal court in Gainesville on Friday. They are each charged with transporting firearms out of state for distribution.
Judge and Dawson were also charged with a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Griffin is facing charges of conspiracy, aiding and abetting, and possession of a non-registered weapon.
The U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) outlined its case against the three defendants in a criminal compliant filed with the federal court.
During the traffic stop on I-85, the Jefferson officer asked the vehicle’s driver, Judge, for his license. Judge opened a center console in the vehicle and the officer could see bullets in a plastic bag, according to court documents.
Judge told the officer there were weapons in the vehicle, and explained that the three men were traveling from Greenville to Atlanta because a cousin had died of cancer. Judge then said he had been convicted in the past of cocaine possession charges.
Judge was taken to the officer’s patrol vehicle while the other passengers were interviewed. Those men told a different story about the reason for their trip to Atlanta, according to court documents.
Men charged with transporting guns, silencer
Judge allowed the officer to search his vehicle, and two pistols and a rifle with a silencer on the end were found in the trunk.
Passenger Griffin said the guns belonged to him, but claimed the silencer was a “suppressor,” according to court documents.
Griffin initially said he purchased the suppressed rifle from a pawnshop, but then said he bought it from an individual, according to court documents.
A .22 caliber riffle with an attached silencer, a .22 caliber pistol and a .45 pistol were turned over to an ATF special agent that was called to the scene. The men were arrested by Jefferson police and booked in the Jackson County Jail.
Griffin said he received the rifle with the silencer for free from a man in Greenville two weeks ago, and the two pistols from another man in South Carolina, according to court documents. One of the pistols he received in a swap for another weapon, while the other pistol was purchased.
Griffin told special agents with the ATF and Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) that he needed money to pay his rent and was attempting to “pawn” the weapons with a man he didn’t know in Atlanta.
Passenger Griffin said the guns belonged to him, but claimed the silencer was a “suppressor,” according to court documents.
Griffin initially said he purchased the suppressed rifle from a pawnshop, but then said he bought it from an individual, according to court documents.
A .22 caliber riffle with an attached silencer, a .22 caliber pistol and a .45 pistol were turned over to an ATF special agent that was called to the scene. The men were arrested by Jefferson police and booked in the Jackson County Jail.
Griffin said he received the rifle with the silencer for free from a man in Greenville two weeks ago, and the two pistols from another man in South Carolina, according to court documents. One of the pistols he received in a swap for another weapon, while the other pistol was purchased.
Griffin told special agents with the ATF and Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) that he needed money to pay his rent and was attempting to “pawn” the weapons with a man he didn’t know in Atlanta.
a silencer isn't illegal in the state of Georgia or South Carolina.
Also, the "silencer" on this rifle was not actually a silencer but a fake silencer shroud that went over the bbl. Glad to see your that the officers that are patrolling your streets know the difference.
If you have been convicted of cocaine dealing or possession or whatever he had been convicted of, guess what? / You can't even own these guns, much less travel with them, across state lines no less and if you do, while you are in Jefferson, I would suggest you slow down stupid!
Josh - "a silencer isn't illegal" & "it was a fake silencer". Somehow I get the feeling that Josh would feel right at home riding in the car with these clowns.
Insurgent on - "arrested for carrying a gun or two across state lines" & "drugs across our boarders".
Well last time I checked Jackson county was quit some distance from either of the boarders he mentions. I'm a little baffled as to what he expects Jackson county officers to do about drugs & weapons being transported across our boarders to the north & south?? Somehow I get the impression that Insurgent on is perfectly OK with allowing individuals like this roam our streets with trunk loads of weapons. If these were law abiding citizens with the proper documentation & permits to carry these fire arms...then I would be OK with it also! However....two felons and a individual with prior driving arrests..on their way to Atlanta to see a cousin who had just died of cancer!!
Sounds like a plot to a "b" rated movie.
Emmett Delaney (#4)said it best - If your on your way to Atlanta to see a dead cousin & your traveling with convicted felons & your carrying illegal fire arms (and silencers)...you may want to obey the speed limit?????