Sarasota felon sentenced for illegally possessing gun, ammunition

A Sarasota man was sentenced to seven years in prison Friday after he was found with a firearm as a convicted felon.

U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew sentenced Timothy Tallmadge, 27, to seven years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Tallmadge pleaded guilty to the charge on March 17.

Law enforcement officers were investigating a reported burglary in progress on Aug. 26, 2016. Officers saw four people, including Tallmadge, that matched the provided description, and detained them for questioning, according to the release.

Tallmadge walked away from officers, “refused to comply with commands and kept reaching for his waistband,” according to the release. When the officer did a pat-down on Tallmadge, a loaded firearm was found.

At the time, Tallmadge had multiple felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Tallmadge was ordered to forfeit the firearm and ammunition police seized during his arrest.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sarasota Police Department and prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program — a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.

This story was originally published June 23, 2017 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Sarasota felon sentenced for illegally possessing gun, ammunition."