A Nashville man is facing a maximum of 15 years in federal prison after being convicted Thursday by a jury in U.S. District Court for possession of a firearm by a felon.
In May 2023, Nashville police stopped John Simmons II, 34, for disregarding a vehicle barricade set up in the evening for the Nashville Blooming Festival, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release Friday.
Simmons was on trial in federal court in Wilmington, with Chief District Judge Richard Myers II presiding. A federal grand jury April 4 indicted Simmons in the May 13, 2023, incident during which Nashville police found a 9mm pistol in the 2012 Hyundai Genesis he had been driving.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Simmons had driven past the barricade that police had set up on the 100 block of West Washington Street at Nashville’s signature annual event and that after officers had halted Simmons, they saw the gun on the front passenger seat and within Simmons’ reach.
When an officer asked Simmons whether he was a convicted felon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that Simmons responded by looking at the firearm and saying, “That’s not mine. It’s my girlfriend’s gun.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that the gun was loaded with 12 rounds, including one in the chamber, and that the gun’s safety mechanism was not engaged. Simmons is also facing a charge in Nash County for driving while impaired.
N.C. Public Safety records state that Simmons was convicted in 2009 in Edgecombe County for robbery with a dangerous weapon and second-degree kidnapping. The records also state that Simmons was convicted in 2009 in Nash County for larceny and common law forgery.
U.S. Attorney Michael Easley, in prepared remarks Friday, said that the Blooming Festival typically draws families enjoying food, music and springtime fun.
“This verdict is a clear warning to keep illegal guns away from eastern North Carolina festivals this summer,” Easley said.
Caleb Shockley, who is the head of investigations at the Nashville Police Department, in prepared remarks Friday, cited the case as a prime example of how the police department is working and continues to work with federal task force officers and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to secure justice in cases of violent felons who possess firearms.
“This is a proactive approach to address the recent uptick in violence that Nashville has experienced, particularly firearm-related incidents at the Blooming Festival,” Shockley said.
During the 2024 Blooming Festival, two juveniles were apprehended May 11 and one of them was charged with criminal offenses in connection with gunfire in the downtown Nashville area, police said.
According to police, officers who were working security at the Blooming Festival reported shots having been fired in the area behind the detention center. Officers detained two juveniles, who reportedly had been seen fleeing on foot, police said.
The juvenile who was charged was accused of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and damage to property, police said. No gunshot victims were found at the scene.
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