Jackie Ovester Mitchell of Salisbury was convicted March 14 in Rowan County Criminal Superior Court of felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Mitchell admitted to his status as a habitual felon and was sentenced to a minimum of 87 months to a maximum of 117 months in prison by Judge Joseph N. Crosswhite.

On Jan. 1, 2015, officers with the Salisbury Police Department stopped a vehicle at North Long Street for no tag light. Once the vehicle stopped, officers made contact with the driver, and the passenger was identified as Mitchell. A K9 unit responded and the driver said he had a set of digital scales in the vehicle and gave consent to search the vehicle.

An officer noticed the passenger, Mitchell, had what appeared to be a handgun concealed in the waistband of his pants. Officers seized the handgun, which was a .380 caliber semi-automatic. Mitchell told officers the driver handed him the handgun and asked him to hold it.

Mitchell had previously been convicted of two separate offenses of felony common law robbery and felony habitual larceny, among other convictions.

Rowan County District Attorney Brandy Cook said she appreciated the efforts of Assistant District Attorney Paxton Butler and the Salisbury Police Department in removing another repeat offender from the community. Cook stated her office will continue to aggressively prosecute convicted felons who illegally possess firearms.