FORT SMITH -- A Malvern man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A $2,900 fine with interest waived also was imposed by U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks, who presided over the sentencing hearing of James Rhodes, 35, according to court records.
Rhodes, who had been convicted of a felony offense, was arrested for shoplifting on Dec. 9, as well as found to possess methamphetamine, according to Rhodes' plea agreement. A companion of Rhodes' reportedly said that additional methamphetamine and a handgun belonging to Rhodes were in the hotel room in which they both had been staying.
After verifying that Rhodes had rented a room at a hotel in Bentonville, investigators searched the room and found a loaded pistol, the plea agreement states. A special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that the gun was manufactured outside Arkansas.
Rhodes was indicted Jan. 15 on the firearm charge, as well as one charge of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of a mixture of substance that contained methamphetamine and one charge of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture of substance that contained methamphetamine, court records state.
Rhodes pleaded innocent to these charges during his arraignment on Feb. 5, but entered a guilty plea to the firearm charge during a change-of-plea hearing on May 14. His other charges were dismissed in accordance with his plea agreement.
The case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, according to the office of David Clay Fowlkes, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Participants in this initiative, which is "aimed at reducing gun and gang violence, deterring illegal possession of firearms and improving the safety of residents in the Western District of Arkansas," include federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
The case was investigated by the Rogers Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the ATF, according to a news release from Fowlkes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Driver prosecuted the case.