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Thomaston, Uniontown resident sentenced in U.S. District Court

United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announces today that United States District Judge William H. Steele sentenced Jason Edward Barber, 31, a resident of Thomaston and Uniontown, Alabama, to 56 months imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  The judge ordered that Barber undergo three years of supervised release after finishing his term of imprisonment and pay a $100 mandatory special assessment. The judge also recommended that Barber receive comprehensive substance abuse treatment while incarcerated.

Barber is a convicted felon with prior drug convictions.  For example, on July 22, 2013 he was convicted of Unlawful Distribution of a Controlled Substance in the Circuit Court of Perry County, Alabama.  As a convicted felon, Barber is prohibited by federal law from knowingly possessing a firearm.   

On March 24, 2017, a Uniontown Police Department lieutenant obtained a state warrant to search Barber’s residence in Uniontown.  The lieutenant had used a confidential informant to purchase drugs from Barber at the home, providing probable cause for the warrant.        

On March 26, 2017, law enforcement officials executed the warrant at the premises. During the search, officials found approximately $778 in cash in Barber’s bedroom, two Smith & Wesson magazines loaded with ammunition, and one .38 caliber Rossi revolver.  Officials found the firearm beside Barber’s bed. Moreover, agents found approximately 431.5 grams of marijuana and approximately 57.8 grams of cocaine in the trunk of a vehicle adjacent to the residence.  The vehicle was previously driven by Barber, who was at the home at the time of the search.

In December 2017, Barber was arrested on a federal criminal complaint.  On Dec. 27, 2017, a federal grand jury for the Southern District of Alabama indicted Barber on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  On Feb. 21, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment, adding two drug charges against Barber.  On March 8, Barber pleaded guilty before Judge Steele to the gun charge.       

Jason Barber is the brother of Gerald Barber, who was convicted on drug charges in January 2018 after a federal jury trial in Selma, Alabama and who later received a 120-month prison sentence.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Uniontown Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant United States Attorney Sinan Kalayoglu prosecuted the case.                  

(This article originally appeared in the Wednesday, June 27 issue of the Demopolis Times.)