MONMOUTH COUNTY – A Monmouth County man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after police found him in possession of a loaded hand gun.
On April 7, 2019, officers with the Asbury Park Police Department were patrolling around the area of the Asbury Park Gardens. The public housing complex is known as a high-crime area due to recent gang, firearms and narcotics-related investigations and arrests there.
Police were told that a gathering was taking place at the Asbury Park Gardens in honor of a recently deceased gang member.
When officers walked through the premises, they found Khalil I. Howard, 24, of Neptune, on the second floor trying to conceal a large bulge in his left jacket pocket. Howard, who is a previously convicted felon, then quickly turned and walked to the third floor, officials said.
Officers asked Howard to stop and apprehended him. They seized a stolen Beretta 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun, loaded with one round of 9-millimeter ammunition in the chamber and an additional seven rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition in the magazine, from Howard’s left jacket pocket.
Since Howard is a previously convicted felon, he is not permitted to possess firearms under federal law, officials said.
Howard pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On September 20, Howard was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Newark Division, Trenton Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews, as well as officers of the Asbury Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police David Kelso, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.
