Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Carlton Bruce Cooke, 40, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “My office is committed to ensuring our community’s most violent offenders are confronted with the full force of the law. This repeat felon not only unlawfully possessed a firearm, he used it to threaten others. Operation Take Back America is a promise by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi that we will do everything in our power to stop those who are endangering our communities. I am proud of the work of our brave state and federal law enforcement partners who investigated this case, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these offenders to keep our communities safe”
Court records reflect that during the early morning hours on July 10, 2024, the defendant observed his roommates sitting in a truck in their driveway talking. The defendant exited the residence with a firearm in hand ordering everyone to leave. He then fired a round into the ground near the vehicle. Law enforcement conducted a search warrant on defendant’s vehicle. The loaded handgun he had used and another loaded handgun with an extended magazine and ammunition were seized. The defendant has been previously convicted of multiple firearms offenses.
The case was investigated jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer H. Callahan prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.