ALBANY, Ga. — A Valdosta, Ga. resident with prior convictions for aggravated assault and robbery by intimidation has been sentenced to prison after officers arrested him during a domestic violence call while illegally in possession of a loaded firearm.
Sammie Eubanks, 28, was sentenced to 57 months in prison to serve concurrently with all probation violation convictions issued by the Superior Court of Lanier County, Georgia, followed by a three-year supervised release by U.S. District Judge Louis Sands in March 3 after previously pleading guilty to possession of a firearm.
“Armed criminals with violent criminal backgrounds who illegally possess weapons will face federal prosecutors,” said US Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I want to thank the Valdosta Police Department and the FBI for helping us bring repeat offenders caught illegally possessing firearms to federal accountability.”
“Eubanks, with a prior conviction of aggravated assault and robbery by intimidation, clearly has not learned from his past mistakes and has continued to intimidate people in our community,” said Keri Farley, the FBI’s Atlanta Special Agent in Charge. “The FBI is proud to work with our local law enforcement partners to help convict these repeat offenders at the federal level, where they face harsher sentences and no possibility of parole.”
According to information provided to the court, on August 31, 2019, officers with the Valdosta Police Department responded to a report of domestic violence at North Sawgrass Circle. Officers located Eubanks, who was initially uncooperative. Eubanks then told officers he had not assaulted his girlfriend, but they had had an argument. Eubanks tried to flee, and he removed a firearm he was carrying and threw it on the ground. Eubanks was restrained and officers recovered the loaded .22 caliber pistol. Eubanks was previously convicted of robbery by intimidation and aggravated assault in Lanier County, Georgia Superior Court on December 12, 2012. It is illegal for a convicted criminal to own a firearm.
This case is being pursued as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s efforts to reduce violent crime. PSN is an evidence-based program that has been shown to be effective in reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a wide range of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime issues in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and re-entry programs to sustainably reduce crime.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Valdosta Police Department.
Assistant US Attorney Hannah Couch prosecuted the case.
