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A federal jury convicted a Goldsboro man July 21 on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, William Earl Warren Jr., 32, was indicted on October 15, 2020 for one count of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Evidence presented at trial revealed that on July 31, 2020, officers initially tried to stop a vehicle driven by Warren for a stop sign violation.

“Instead of stopping, Warren led officers on a slow speed vehicle chase through the Westhaven Housing Neighborhoods in Goldsboro, NC,” stated the release. “Warren’s vehicle eventually came to a stop and Warren fled the vehicle carrying a firearm. Officers gave chase on foot as Warren ran behind a building and tossed the firearm in a wooded area before continuing to flee on foot.

“Warren was apprehended shortly afterward in front of the building and officers combed the wooded area and found the firearm at the base of a tree within his flight path,” the release continued. “Further evidence presented at trial revealed that Warren was on supervised release at the time of the charged offense for a previous federal conviction for Hobbs Act Robbery in 2015.”

Warren faces a maximum penalty of 120 months in prison when sentenced in September 2021.

G. Norman Acker III, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. The Goldsboro Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon L. Boykin prosecuted.

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