By FARRAH JOHNSON
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A man was sentenced to more than two years in prison yesterday after he pleaded guilty to illegal firearm and ammunition possession.
Latario Rolle, 25, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and ammunition after officers found a black .45mm glock pistol and 13 live rounds of .45 ammunition in his vehicle on June 29.
Prosecutor Kendrick Bauld said that officers were on foot patrol around 5pm on the day in question, when they observed a vehicle driving on Bay Street. He said when the driver looked in the officers’ direction, he began to act in a suspicious manner. As a result, the officers beckoned for the vehicle to stop and asked the driver, Rolle, to exit the vehicle.
He was then informed that he and his car would be searched for dangerous drugs and firearms. During their search, officers found a pistol under the driver’s seat of the car.
Rolle was subsequently arrested and taken to a nearby station. In an interview with police there, he claimed that he had found the pistol earlier and had placed it in his vehicle.
During the hearing, Rolle told the magistrate that his actions were not intentional and it was “one of the stupidest mistakes” he had ever made in his life.
In response, Magistrate McKinney told him while the court considered his immediate plea of guilt and expression of remorse, it also had to weigh those things against the aggravating factors.
With that in mind, he told Rolle that there seemed to be a “prevalence” of firearms in society and added that it appeared to be the “weapon of choice” for many homicides.
For that reason he sentenced Rolle to 30 months in prison for count one and one year in prison for count two. Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
After he was sentenced, Rolle asked the magistrate if he could kiss his mother before he was taken into custody.
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