A Union City man has found himself on the wrong side of the law once again, earning over eight years behind bars for a firearms violation. Michael Eaton, 41, couldn't escape his past when a routine traffic stop turned up a loaded gun and a sheet of prior convictions.
The incident dates back to February 11, 2023, when Union City Police spotted an SUV with a tint darker than the law allows. Eaton, riding as a passenger, escalated the situation and was arrested after a confrontation. The officers found evidence of someone with a criminal past -- a Charter Arms .38 special revolver, loaded and illegal in his hands. Eaton's history with the law, which includes a 10-year stint in 2000 for intent to resell drugs and an eight-year sentence in 2010 for armed robbery, barred him from owning such weapons, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Fast forward to now, a judge sentenced Eaton to 105 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm. The sentencing took place last Monday, December 30, 2024, with U.S. District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson laying down the terms, which include three years of supervised release post-prison. Eaton won't get parole since it's not allowed in the federal system, according to the same press release.
The case falls under the Project Safe Neighborhood Initiative. The Union City Police Department and the ATF led the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Immanuel Chioco prosecuted the case under Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren.
