BUTTS COUNTY, Ga. — A metro Atlanta man with a lengthy criminal record will spend years in federal prison after authorities found a stolen gun during a traffic stop on Interstate 75.
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La’Qyale Emmanuel Fortson, 35, of Riverdale, was sentenced Sept. 3 to 100 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Federal prosecutors said the case began when a Butts County deputy stopped Fortson’s vehicle on I-75 for following a tractor-trailer too closely.
According to court documents, the deputy detected the odor of marijuana after approaching the vehicle. Fortson denied smoking marijuana, but a drug detection dog later alerted to the vehicle, investigators said.
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When told the vehicle would be searched, Fortson admitted there was marijuana in the center console, according to prosecutors.
The search uncovered a small amount of suspected marijuana, an open bottle of tequila behind the passenger seat and an unloaded Glock pistol underneath the driver’s seat.
Authorities later determined the handgun had been reported stolen out of East Point. Prosecutors said Fortson told investigators he bought the gun from one of his “weed buddies.”
Fortson also admitted he knew he was prohibited from possessing a gun because he was a convicted felon, according to court records.
Federal officials said Fortson’s criminal history includes prior convictions for aggravated assault, obstructing a peace officer and battery.
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