A 41-year-old Silver Springs man with multiple prior felony convictions was indicted this week for allegedly possessing a firearm and ammunition.
On Wednesday, November 8, United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the return of an indictment charging Jerome Junior Swopshire with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
If convicted on the firearm-related charges, Swopshire faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment and arrest report, on August 9, 2023, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office detective arrested Swopshire for a warrant that he had out of Alachua County. He had been apprehended shortly after leaving his girlfriend’s residence.
The arrest report stated that a backpack was “tossed across” Swopshire’s left shoulder when he was taken into custody. During a search of the backpack, a stolen Taurus G3 9mm handgun with an extended clip was found, and a round was located inside the chamber.
At the time of Swopshire’s arrest on August 9, he had previous state felony convictions for robbery, child abuse, resisting an officer with violence, felony domestic battery, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, according to the indictment.
As a convicted felon, Swopshire is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve in an effort to reduce violent crime and gun violence.