Source: Office of United States Attorneys
GREENSBORO – A Burlington, North Carolina man was sentenced today in Winston-Salem to 9 years in prison after pleading guilty to a drug charge and a related firearm charge, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
FREDRICK DONTAE SLADE, age 50, was sentenced to 108 months imprisonment plus 3 years supervised release by the Honorable Loretta C. Biggs, Senior United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. In addition to prison and supervision, SLADE was ordered to forfeit a Glock-type privately made pistol and 9mm ammunition.
According to court records, on March 23, 2022, Alamance County Sheriff’s Office deputies approached SLADE while he was parked at a local business after noting SLADE was driving on a suspended license and had completed a suspected drug delivery. SLADE refused officer commands to get out of the vehicle. As one of the officers opened his driver door, SLADE placed the car in reverse and stepped on the gas. SLADE dragged the officer approximately 35 feet before stopping. Upon searching SLADE and his vehicle, officers discovered over 8 grams of cocaine base and a tan polymer “ghost gun,” similar in design to a Glock pistol, which is more difficult for law enforcement to trace. The gun was loaded and attached to a 50-round drum magazine with thirteen rounds of ammunition in it. Attached to the weapon was a “Glock switch,” which functions as a machine gun and allowed the Glock-type ghost gun to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.
SLADE pleaded guilty on June 5, 2024, to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C), and one count of felon in possession of ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
The case was investigated by Alamance County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by MDNC Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey A. Freeman and former Assistant United States Attorney Jack M. Alsup.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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