A Lauderdale man was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.

The office says that Levi Gibbs, Jr., 51, knowingly and intentionally possessed a firearm after having been convicted of a felony offense. 

On March 27, 2020, Meridian police officers stopped Gibbs while he was driving after an officer observed him crossing over the center line of the road and speeding, according to a Department of Justice press release. When an officer approached the passenger side of the vehicle, he saw a pistol on an ankle holster on Gibbs’ right leg.

The officer checked Gibbs’ criminal record and found out that he was a convicted felon, according to the DOJ. Gibbs has multiple felony convictions, several of which are for drug crimes. He is also currently under indictment from the Circuit Court of Lowndes County, Mississippi, for armed robbery. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Meridian Police Department investigated the case, according to the DOJ. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham prosecuted the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that aims to reduce violent crime.