Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2105
Columbia, South Carolina–------- United States Attorney Beth Drake, announced today that Justin David Crenshaw, age 31, of Salem, entered a guilty plea in federal court this morning in Greenville on charges stemming from his possession and discharge of a firearm last fall at a residence in Oconee County. United States Magistrate Judge Kevin F. McDonald accepted the plea. Crenshaw will be sentenced after a presentence investigation report is prepared by United States Probation.
Crenshaw was previously indicted on December 13, 2016, by a federal grand jury for felon in possession of ammunition, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). Prior to his indictment, Crenshaw, whose conduct at the time of the offense was being supervised by United States Probation following his summertime release from the Bureau of Prisons, was arrested on federal arrest warrants in early December for the offense and has remained in custody, detained without bond, since that date.
The facts presented by the government at the guilty plea hearing this morning established that on October 25, 2016, Crenshaw and a colleague entered a residence in Oconee County and initiated a physical assault on a male located in the residence. The male ran outside the house followed by Crenshaw who then fired two rounds during the altercation. Deputies recovered two 9mm ammunition casings from the site of the incident. When interviewed, Crenshaw admitted firing the shots.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with the assistance and cooperation of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. The case has been assigned to First Assistant United States Attorney Lance Crick for prosecution.
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