Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Hattiesburg man was sentenced to the statutory maximum of 120 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Field Office.  The sentence also included restitution of $6,916.37 and a term of three years of supervised release following his release from confinement.

According to court documents, Harley Cox III, 40, possessed a firearm on or about May 3, 2021.  On that date, Cox discharged the firearm into an occupied residence in Forrest County and then fled.  Forrest County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with Lamar County Sheriff’s Office and eventually located Cox in Lamar County.  When found, Cox was in possession of multiple firearms.  He had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including drug distribution.

Forrest County Sheriff Charlie Sims announced: “We appreciate the assistance of all of our partner agencies in getting a violent offender off of the streets.  Project Safe Neighborhoods allows agencies to share information and collaborate on cases which has greatly assisted us in our efforts to address violent crime in our community.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, and Lamar County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew W. Eichner and Shundral Cole prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.