A Mooresville man with a criminal record has been handed down a prison sentence exceeding nine years for firearm possession by a felon. U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced 35-year-old Charod Terron Terry to 110 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina. The statement, released on June 27th, 2024, outlines the events leading to Terry's arrest and subsequent sentencing.
The unraveling of Terry's case began on July 14, 2022, when Terry, a passenger in a car, was stopped by deputies of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office after an attempt to avoid a checkpoint. Upon his exit from the vehicle, deputies spotted a firearm partially concealed inside a bag next to him. Further investigation unearthed trafficking quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base, and, Terry's association with the firearm was confirmed. Terry, it turned out, had a history with law enforcement, having been convicted on drug possession charges in the past, making it illegal for him to carry a firearm.
During Terry's sentencing, the court heard how on top of the recent charges, he had previously dealt cocaine base to undercover officers on multiple occasions in 2021. This pattern of criminality led to an enhanced sentence for Terry's use of a firearm in connection with drug trafficking. On February 2, 2024, he had entered a guilty plea to the charge of firearms possession by a convicted felon. Terry remains in federal custody, pending transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility.
The successful action against Terry was the fruit of collaborative efforts by the ATF, Iredell County Sheriff's Office, and Statesville Police Department. Such interventions are part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, a program aiming to reduce violent crime and gun violence, for the betterment of neighborhood safety. The strategy, revitalized by the Department on May 26, 2021, focuses on community trust, supporting violence prevention organizations, strategic enforcement and measuring outcomes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa led the prosecution of Terry's case. The court records and details of the sentencing provide a clear signal of the consequences for felons who choose to re-engage with firearms and illegal substances, underscored by the U.S. Attorney's Office's commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods' ethos and objectives.
