A Brazos County district court jury on April 13 convicted 36 year old Melvin Ford Jr. of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
On June 2, the trial judge imposed a 37 year sentence.
According to the district attorney’s office, the minimum sentence was 25 years based on Ford’s criminal history.
Ford is awaiting trials on felony charges from the same incident in March of last year, accusing him of drug possession and evading arrest with prior convictions.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
On June 2, 2022, Judge Hawthorne sentenced Melvin Ford, Jr. to 37 years in prison. A Brazos County jury previously found the defendant guilty of the offense of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon on
April 13, 2022.
Around 4:00am on March 5, 2021, Bryan police offers responded to a call for service. While officers were investigating the scene, they encountered the defendant standing behind a pickup truck. The defendant was wearing various items of bright blue clothing, including a blue hat and blue shoes. When the defendant saw officers, he made furtive movements with his hands. When officers asked the defendant to raise his hands, the defendant turned and ran away from officers, despite their calls for him to stop.
After officers caught up with the defendant, he actively resisted arrest for almost two minutes. Officers found a Taurus G2C pistol in a holster on the defendant’s hip during the struggle. It took four officers to finally subdue the defendant. The defendant continued to resist while officers tried to put him in a patrol vehicle to transport to the jail. Officers found meth, cocaine, marijuana, and Xanax pills on the defendant’s person and in a backpack he was carrying. Officers also found a digital scale, clear plastic Ziplock-style baggies, loose cash, multiple cell phones, and a loaded magazine that belonged to a different gun from the one officers found on the defendant’s hip.
During the guilt phase of the trial, the arresting officers testified about the dangers they face when responding to calls, especially at night, and how those dangers are heightened when guns are involved.
During the punishment phase of the trial, officers with extensive experience investigating drug crimes and gang-related activities testified that the amount of drugs and paraphernalia the defendant had on his person at the time of his arrest shows he was a drug dealer. The defendant is also a member of the Crips criminal street gang. The State introduced photographs of the defendant’s numerous gang-affiliated tattoos and officers testified about the risks gang activities pose to this community.
The defendant has been to prison on four separate occasions for the following felony offenses: Tampering with Evidence in 2007, Tampering with Evidence in 2009, Evading Arrest or Detention with a Prior Conviction in 2010, and 2 counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance in 2014. As a convicted felon, it is illegal for the defendant to possess a firearm. Because of his criminal history, the minimum sentence for this offense is 25 years in prison.
The defendant also has an extensive misdemeanor criminal history dating back to 2003. This history includes convictions for Possession of Marijuana, Resisting Arrest, Failure to Identify himself to police
officers, Driving While License Invalid, Evading Arrest, and Burglary of a Vehicle.