Clinton Man Pleads Guilty Under Project EJECT to Illegally Possessing a Gun

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Jackson, Miss. – Jeremie Markell Torrey, 29, of Clinton, pled guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Tom Lee to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Michelle A. Sutphin, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.

On June 1, 2018, Torrey was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by Jackson Police Department officers.  When the officer spoke with the driver, he smelled marijuana in the vehicle.  Marijuana was found in the vehicle, along with baggies for packaging and a digital scale.

Torrey was sitting in the back seat of the car, and a Glock pistol was found on the rear passenger armrest just next to where he was sitting.  A Smith & Wesson pistol was also found under the front passenger side seat where another passenger, Clifton Horton, was sitting.

During interviews by the FBI, Torrey admitted to possessing the Glock pistol and Horton admitted to possessing the Smith & Wesson pistol.  Both Torrey and Horton are convicted felons and it is illegal for them to possess firearms.  Horton is being prosecuted in a separate criminal case by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Torrey will be sentenced on December 12, 2019, by Judge Lee, and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles W. Kirkham.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for “Empower Justice Expel Crime Together.” PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.