Wilson Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Ammunition Charge Related to Shooting at Highway Patrolman

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wilson man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for unlawfully possessing ammunition.

According to court documents, on January 14, 2019, North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Harrell conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by John David Jones, 38, for illegally towing another vehicle. During the traffic stop, Jones fired several 9mm rounds into the windshield of Trooper Harrell’s patrol car, striking Trooper Harrell in the cheek and forehead. Jones fled the scene and Trooper Harrell pursued him until Jones made a U-Turn and rammed Trooper Harrell’s patrol vehicle head-on. At the scene of the shooting, investigators recovered multiple 9mm shell casings, and the defendant’s DNA was found on a recovered shell casing.

Following the sentencing hearing, Mr. Higdon commented:  “Every day law enforcement officers across the Eastern District face unknown risks as they attempt to deal with those among us who will not follow the law.  Trooper Harrell’s experience with the defendant in January of 2019 is our worst nightmare: he stops a vehicle for a relatively minor suspected violation, he finds himself fighting for his own life as he takes gunfire to the face.  We are so grateful that Trooper Harrell survived and has overcome his injuries; but his experience reminds us of the inherent danger law enforcement faces every day and why my office and the U.S. Justice Department are proud to stand with Trooper Harrell who bravely faced this threat for all of us.”

Colonel Glenn M. McNeill of the North Carolina Highway Patrol stated:  “Today, several members of the State Highway Patrol family stood alongside Trooper Daniel Harrell, as we collectively attended the sentencing hearing of his attacker. While the punishment imposed affords the Harrell family and law enforcement across our state a sense of closure, we cannot allow today’s court proceeding to overshadow Trooper Harrell’s heroic efforts. My continued hope is that our members will never face a cowardly act such as this and those wishing to do harm to a law enforcement officer understands their actions will not go unpunished. I am eternally grateful for the unwavering partnership among our federal partners from the US Attorney’s Office who worked tirelessly to ensure North Carolina remains a safe place to live.”

This case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.  For more information about this initiative click here:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and Greenville Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad E. Rhoades  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-00304-D.