Special to IFN

A Charlotte man was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison on Thursday on weapons charges in connection with an incident involving a pursuit with Statesville Police Department officers.

Trevaris Devar Kennedy, 21, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a machinegun, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson announced.

According to filed court documents and court proceedings, on December 22, 2023, an SPD officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle with an expired registration tag. Kennedy was a passenger in the vehicle.

When the officer activated his blue lights, the driver of the vehicle sped away. Later, the vehicle came to a stop and the driver attempted to flee on foot. As the officer was attempting to apprehend the driver, two firearms were thrown from the vehicle’s passenger window into a wooded area at the side of the road

Later, officers searched the area and recovered two firearms, a Glock Model 19 9mm, and a stolen Glock Model 26 9mm. Both firearms had extended magazines and were modified with “Glock switches,” devices capable of converting conventional firearms into fully automatic weapons. A total of 55 rounds of 9mm ammunition was also recovered.

On January 5, 2024, law enforcement arrested Kennedy and seized his cell phone. Law enforcement forensically analyzed Kennedy’s cell phone and found videos and photos of the defendant holding various firearms, many of which were fitted with Glock switches. They also found messages and other communications indicating that Kennedy was selling Glock switches on social media.

When Kennedy was arrested, he was on probation for prior criminal convictions and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Kennedy is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson credited the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Statesville Police Department with the investigation that led to Kennedy’s conviction.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Kinlaw of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.