Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty To Firearms Offense

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Randy Rashawn Moorehead, 34, of Charlotte, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler today and pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

According to filed court documents and court proceedings, on January 12, 2022, a CMPD officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop of Moorehead’s vehicle for a traffic violation. Moorehead did not comply and instead drove off. The officer continued to follow Moorehead, who eventually turned into a dead-end street and the officer was able to block Moorehead’s vehicle. During the traffic stop, law enforcement detected a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. Law enforcement proceeded to conduct a search of the vehicle. Over the course of the search, law enforcement recovered a bag that contained a firearm, a quantity of cocaine base, marijuana, and digital scales. Moorehead has a prior felony conviction of Intentional Child Abuse Causing Serious Physical Injury, and he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Moorehead is currently in federal custody. The statutory maximum for the charged offense is 15 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been sent.

The ATF and CMPD conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shavonn Bennette of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.

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.