Baldwin County Man Receives 5 Years Probation and 300 Hours of Community Service for Possession of a Firearm After Felony Conviction

The United States Attorney, Richard W. Moore, announces that Craig Miller, a 34 year old, resident of Foley, Alabama was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service.  During the first six months of his probationary term, Miller will be on home confinement.

On September 24, 2016, a Baldwin County, Alabama sheriff’s deputy initiated a traffic stop for a vehicle driven by Miller.  The vehicle was stopped for speeding.  The deputy obtained Miller’s license and learned that it was suspended.  When the deputy told Miller of the suspension, he observed Miller speaking with slightly slurred speech and Miller had the strong odor of a fermented beverage on or about his person.  Next, the deputy asked Miller if there were weapons in the vehicle.  Miller responded by looking in the back seat.  He did not respond verbally.  The deputy then asked Miller if he had been drinking that night.  Miller responded with, “yes, a few drinks.”  The deputy asked Miller to step out of the vehicle so they could talk about Miller’s license and talk about how much Miller had drank that night.  When Miller stepped out of the vehicle, the deputy asked Miller if he had anything on him or in the vehicle that the deputy needed to know about.  Miller replied that there was a gun in the vehicle.  The deputy then asked if he could search the vehicle and Miller consented to the search.  The search yielded two bottles of alcohol, an open container with alcohol inside and a crown royal bag with a Sig Sauer, .40 caliber pistol.  A records check revealed that the firearm had been stolen.  Miller was then read his Miranda Rights and he confessed to possessing a firearm knowing that he was prohibited from doing so due to his felony conviction.  On November 13, 2017, Miller entered a guilty plea to possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony assault in 2011.

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office along with the FBI’s Violent Crime Unit investigated the case and presented it to the United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution.  The prosecutor assigned to the case was Assistant United States Attorney, Gina S. Vann.