West Memphis, Arkansas – A Memphis man with an extensive criminal record has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of illegally possessing a firearm during a traffic stop in West Memphis, Arkansas.
Percy Jackson, 41, of Memphis, Tennessee, received a 235-month federal prison sentence from Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker. Jonathan D. Ross, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence.
Jackson was already on federal supervised release when the Arkansas offense occurred. His previous federal convictions involved two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm in Tennessee, meaning the latest case involved the same type of federal crime.
Along with the 235 months behind bars, Judge Baker ordered Jackson to serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term. Federal prisoners are not eligible for parole.
Traffic stop in West Memphis led to discovery of loaded gun
The case dates back to October 10, 2023, when officers with the West Memphis Police Department stopped a vehicle Jackson was driving. Police initiated the traffic stop because the car had a defective brake light and expired tags.
Jackson was the vehicle’s only occupant. Evidence presented during his trial showed that officers noticed he appeared nervous and was sweating while speaking with law enforcement.
Officers removed Jackson from the vehicle and conducted a search. Under the driver’s seat, investigators discovered a loaded Ruger 9mm firearm. Authorities later determined that the weapon had previously been reported stolen.
Officers also discovered a bag containing pills in the vehicle’s glove compartment. Testing showed that the pills contained fentanyl.
Jackson was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his previous felony convictions. At the time of the West Memphis traffic stop, he was also serving a period of federal supervised release through the Western District of Tennessee following an earlier felon in possession of a firearm conviction.
Jackson had been released from federal prison on September 28, 2022, after completing a previous 15-year federal sentence connected to his illegal possession of firearms. Just over a year after that release, the West Memphis traffic stop resulted in another federal gun case.
A federal grand jury indicted Jackson on June 6, 2024. He faced three charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The case eventually proceeded to a three-day trial before Judge Baker. After approximately three hours of deliberations, the federal jury found Jackson guilty on the first count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Jackson’s criminal history played an important role in the case and his eventual sentence. Federal authorities classified him as an armed career criminal because of his past violent offenses.
According to prosecutors, his record includes five aggravated robbery convictions. He also has previous convictions for attempted aggravated robbery and facilitation of especially aggravated robbery, along with his earlier federal convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Jackson will now serve more than 19 years in federal prison before beginning the additional three-year period of supervised release.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the West Memphis Police Department and the Second Judicial Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Eldridge prosecuted the federal case.
