Chattanooga man pleads guilty to gun charges in federal district court

Jarmichael Walker
Jarmichael Walker

Even though he was a convicted felon, Jarmichael Walker said he had a gun in his room for a very specific reason: Someone had shot at him two nights before.

That's what he told Chattanooga police on March 25, and that's why he was arrested and indicted two months later in the city's federal district court.

With at least two felony convictions on his record and a gun on his person, Walker fit into a neat category that federal prosecutors have been paid by the city to target since October 2013: Either validated gang members or associates with felony convictions who drive the majority of violence.

These offenders are usually found with guns or drugs, officials said in March, and T.C. Makaya, the prosecutor hired in February to focus on such cases, is listed as the government's attorney on Walker's docket.

On Wednesday, Walker's case came to a conclusion when he told U.S. District Magistrate Judge Susan K. Lee that he was guilty of his indictment - one count of knowingly possessing a firearm. Because an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent ran tests and determined the gun was manufactured outside of Tennessee, Walker's gun charge also included an "affecting interstate commerce" element, records show.

Walker, 27, will be sentenced Dec. 2 and faces a minimum range of zero to 10 years. If the judge, however, determines that Walker is a career armed criminal, he could face a tougher punishment of 15 years to life. To be considered a career armed criminal, a person needs a combination of three drug or violent felony convictions, prosecutors said.

Walker was convicted of aggravated burglary in Hamilton County Criminal Court in 2009 and received a five-year sentence, records show. Because the sentence was suspended, he served nine months in custody, then went on intensive probation, records show.

That year, Walker also pleaded guilty to having contraband in a penal institution, and has since picked up other gun and drug possession charges, records show.

Before closing his proceeding, Lee delivered a message to Walker, one she gives to most young men in her courtroom, she said.

"Federal court has an escalating range of punishment for being a felon in possession," she said. "You've had a long involvement with the criminal justice system. But eventually, a single bullet in your pocket can get you 15 years.

"You're 27," Lee continued. "But if you can't change your ways, it will eventually apply to you and rob you of your life. You've already been shot once. That's something you need to reflect on."

Family members or friends who gathered on Walker's behalf Wednesday declined comment on the judge's message.

Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @zackpeterson918.

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