North Texas man convicted of 13 prior felonies gets 17 years in prison for gun crime
A North Texas man with 13 felony convictions has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm as a convicted felony, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Curtis Wayne Rodgers, 41, pleaded guilty in June to the crime, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton said in the news release.
He was sentenced on Nov. 8 under the Armed Career Criminal Act, which raises the maximum penalty of the crime for anybody with three previous convictions or a violent felony or “serious drug offense,” the DOJ said.
Rogers was arrested by Irving police in June 2022 after officers identified him as a suspect in a burglary and aggravated assault in an Irving neighborhood, according to the news release. Witnesses told police someone kicked in the door to a home, asked neighbors where the homeowner was and then aimed a firearm at a neighbor and told him to go inside his house and not to call anyone.
The neighbor’s security cameras showed Rogers leave the area in a pickup truck, which led police to obtain a search warrant for his home and vehicles, where they located the firearm used, according to the news release. His 13 prior felony convictions include more than the three necessary to sentence him under the Armed Career Criminal Act.