Man Sentenced to More Than 1 Year for Being Felon in Possession of Firearm, Failing to Appear in Court, Possessing Fentanyl in Subsequent Arrest
NORFOLK, Va. — Jihard Rasheed Smith, 33, was sentenced on Tuesday to serve one year and two months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a Schedule II drug last year and for failing to appear in court for those charges earlier this year.
On Oct. 12, 2023, Norfolk Police officers pulled over a vehicle in which Mr. Smith was a passenger because the officers ran the vehicle’s tags and identified the driver to have had outstanding warrants. When officers initially approached the vehicle, they saw what appeared to be an L-shaped bulge resembling the shape of a concealed firearm in Mr. Smith’s front pants pocket. After walking back to their patrol car to run the driver’s information and returning to the pulled-over vehicle, the officers noticed that Mr. Smith’s L-shaped bulge was gone. The officers served the driver with his outstanding warrant and placed him under arrest and then asked Mr. Smith to get out of the vehicle and inquired about whether he had a firearm. Mr. Smith told them no, but when officers searched the vehicle subsequent to the driver’s arrest, they found a handgun under the passenger seat where Mr. Smith had been sitting.
The officers ran Mr. Smith’s information, saw that he was a convicted felon, and placed Mr. Smith under arrest as well for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Mr. Smith was held in the Norfolk City Jail and later released on bond in a subsequent Norfolk General District Court hearing. Mr. Smith did not come to court for his preliminary hearing the following month, was charged with felony failure to appear, and remained a fugitive until May 2024.
On May 23, 2024, Mr. Smith was apprehended by Norfolk State University Police on Corprew Avenue. The officers arrested Mr. Smith due to his outstanding warrants. When Mr. Smith was searched subsequent to his arrest, officers found pills in his pocket that were later tested and confirmed to contain fentanyl, which is a Schedule II controlled substance that is illegal to possess without a prescription.
On Tuesday, Mr. Smith pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, failing to appear in court, and possessing a Schedule II drug and agreed to serve one year and two months in prison with another five years and 10 months suspended on the conditions that he complete four years of uniform good behavior, two years of supervised probation, and substance abuse treatment. Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise accepted Mr. Smith’s plea agreement and sentenced him per the agreement.
“People convicted of felonies should not possess guns, period, and nobody should mix drugs and guns,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “We will continue to hold accountable people who possess weapons illegally.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney W. Joshua Holder prosecuted Mr. Smith’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth.
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