GREENSBORO, N.C. — A Durham man was sentenced after pleading guilty to two firearms-related incidents from 2022, according to United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston.
Jhamar "Smoke" Oratavio Dawson, 22, nearly crashed into a North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper's car at a traffic light and fled the scene on June 21, 2022, according to the DOJ.
Dawson's speed reached 75 mph in a 45 mph zone as he drove toward oncoming traffic, according to the DOJ.
At the intersection of E. Club Blvd. and Dearborn Dr., Dawson's car skidded into a ditch, went airborne and burst into flames, according to the DOJ.
Dawson and his unidentified passenger ran away from the scene. The trooper followed them and caught Dawson. They found a handgun in his driver's seat. He was arrested on state charges, according to the DOJ.
In Oct. 2022, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force arrested him in an apartment in Wake County for the firearm possession in June. During the arrest, agents discovered a stolen firearm, a large amount of cash and small bags of suspected controlled substances, according to the DOJ.
Dawson pleaded guilty to both counts of felon in possession of a firearm in the Middle District of North Carolina on Jan. 17, 2023, according to the DOJ.
Dawson was sentenced to five years, three years of supervised release and to pay a special assessment of $200 after pleading guilty to his charges, according to the DOJ.
Dawson is facing additional felony flee to elude arrest in a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, and assault with a deadly weapon on a government official charges stemming from July 2020, according to the DOJ.
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