Texas Man Sentenced To 7 Years In Federal Prison For Being A Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that James Elmer Sneed IV, age 35, was sentenced last week to 84 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm.  The Honorable Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.

According to court records, during the course of drug investigations in Clark County, Arkansas, in 2018, investigators of the Group 6 Narcotics Enforcement Unit received information that Sneed was involved in drug trafficking.  Sneed is a convicted felon who investigators learned was wanted in Texas for parole violations.  Group 6 was also warned that Sneed was in possession of multiple firearms and a bulletproof vest.  In February 2018, while attempting to locate and arrest Sneed, investigators executed a search warrant at a residence in Caddo Valley, Arkansas.  Sneed was found in a bedroom inside.  Within Sneed’s reach were a stolen AR-15, a loaded .380 caliber pistol, and evidence of drug distribution.  In the residence, Group 6 investigators also found and seized two rifle magazines holding .223 caliber ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and several thousand dollars in cash.

Sneed was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2018, and he entered a guilty plea in April 2019.

This case was investigated by Group 6 Narcotics Enforcement Unit and the FBI.  Assistant United States Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.