A Bristol Township man was convicted following a trial at the federal courthouse in Philadelphia.
Dennis D. Davis, 34, of Bristol Township’s Levittown section, was convicted Thursday on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance before U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg.
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Davis, who was already a felon, was arrested following what federal authorities called a “dramatic car chase” in July 2017.
According to federal authorities and court papers filed by Middletown police in 2017, Davis was driving near Bristol-Oxford Valley and Woodbourne roads when he failed to stop for a Middletown officer. He sped off and caused a crash at a busy intersection of Bristol-Oxford Valley and New Falls roads on the border of Middletown and Bristol Township. Davis then pulled his car into a nearby parking lot and jumped out of his vehicle. He fled on foot into Bristol Township and was later captured.
Davis discarded a purse containing a gun, drugs paraphernalia, and crack cocaine, authorities said, adding $1,000 cash was located in his car.
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At the trial, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Rinaldi and Melanie Babb Wilmoth presented a number of pieces of evidence, including fingerprints from the gun, civilian eyewitnesses, and several law enforcement witnesses who participated in the chase and the man’s capture.
“Firearms and drugs in the hands of convicted felons like Davis undeniably pose a serious threat to our community” said U.S. Attorney William McSwain. “Davis further endangered the community by refusing to comply with officers’ lawful commands and causing an unnecessary high-speed chase and subsequent crash. Luckily, no innocent civilians were hurt or killed and Davis has now been held accountable for his criminal conduct. We remain steadfast in our commitment to working with our federal partners to clear the streets of illegal firearms and drugs and to protect the public.”
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Davis was initially charged by Middletown police, but the FBI became involved. The case was then turned over to federal prosecutors.
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