In McAlester, Oklahoma, Leslie Ray Upchurch, a 35-year-old local, has entered a guilty plea for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, following an indictment that charged the convicted felon with possessing a Ruger 9mm Luger caliber semi-automatic pistol and multiple rounds of ammunition, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
This case stems from incidents on April 28, 2023, when Upchurch, previously convicted of a crime carrying a potential imprisonment term exceeding one year, was found with the aforementioned firearm and bullets, his prior conviction being something of which he was fully aware setting the stage for the federal offense, this information forms part of the collective investigation effort that involved the McAlester Police Department, the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office, along with federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Upchurch's plea was accepted by Magistrate Judge Jason A. Robertson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, who has subsequently ordered a presentence investigation report to be completed, a process that is typical in federal cases of this nature to determine appropriate sentencing, as detailed in the press release by the U.S. Attorney's office.
Following his guilty plea Upchurch was taken into the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending the outcome of his sentencing while Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob R. Parker represented the United States during the proceedings which, given the nature of the crime and the coordinated effort that led to the charge, demonstrate a clear message regarding the seriousness with which firearm offenses are treated in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
