Source: Office of United States Attorneys
LITTLE ROCK—John Balentine, a multi-convicted felon, will spend 188 months in federal prison after illegally possessing a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Monday, November 18, 2024, by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
Balentine, 34, of Newport, Arkansas, was indicted on December 7, 2022, in a superseding indictment on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded guilty on May 24, 2024. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Balentine to five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) revealed that on February 18, 2020, officers from the Newport Police Department and Arkansas Community Correction responded to Balentine’s residence due to reports that he was in possession of a firearm. At the time, Balentine was on active supervision with a search waiver on file. During a search of his bedroom, officers located a Colt, .38 caliber firearm loaded with six rounds between Balentine’s mattresses.
Balentine is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his violent criminal history, which includes convictions for four residential burglaries, a robbery, and a terroristic act. Due to this history, Balentine faced at least 15 years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF with assistance from the Newport Police Department and Arkansas Community Correction. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katie Hinojosa.
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