A 41-year-old convicted felon from Silver Springs who pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm will spend the next eight years behind bars.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber sentenced Jerome Junior Swopshire to eight years in federal prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. He had entered a guilty plea on July 29.
According to court records, on August 9, 2023, the United States Marshals Service’s Fugitive Task Force received information that Swopshire, a wanted fugitive, was in Marion County. A task force officer conducted surveillance and observed Swopshire leaving his girlfriend’s residence in Ocala.
As Swopshire attempted to enter a rental vehicle, he was detained by law enforcement. He was wearing a backpack, and a search of it revealed a loaded Taurus pistol with an extended ammunition magazine.
In addition, a digital scale was found inside the backpack, which was coated in a powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. Officers also located a jar containing marijuana and small plastic baggies.
Inside the rental vehicle, officers found a hard white substance in the center console that field-tested positive for fentanyl, along with multiple plastic baggies. Under the driver’s seat, a spent 9mm shell casing was spotted, which matched the caliber of the pistol that was found in Swopshire’s backpack.
At the time of Swopshire’s arrest, 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.
As a convicted felon, Swopshire is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, with assistance from the Ocala Police Department, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. 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 to reduce violent crime and gun violence.