Columbia man convicted of illegally having gun receives federal prison sentence
A Columbia man convicted of illegally having a gun was sentenced Monday by a federal judge.
Justin C. Ewing, 30, was given four years and eights months in prison at a hearing in Jefferson City.
Ewing pleaded guilty in February to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Investigators said a stolen loaded .40-caliber handgun was found in the vehicle Ewing was a passenger in.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone convicted of a felony to have a firearm or ammunition.
According to police, officers tried to stop a car driven by Jeremy W. Gerlach, 36, of Harrisburg, in December 2017.
Both men were arrested near the Days Inn Motel on I-70 Drive Southwest after their vehicle crashed into an electrical pole.
Police said a .45-caliber handgun, a glass pipe, a scale with methamphetamine residue on it and three pipes used to smoke methamphetamine were also found in the men’s car.
Gerlach pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A judge sentenced Gerlach to four years and nine months in federal prison without parole in April.
