Evergreen Reporter

U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday sentenced Dovantate Wright, 26, of Bradenton, to two years and six months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Wright entered a guilty plea on March 8, 2024. This federal sentence is consecutive to a separate sentence of five years and six months imposed in Manatee County.

According to court documents, on September 2, 2022, Wright was the front seat passenger of a vehicle driving in the wrong direction on a one-way road in Sarasota, Florida. Officers from the Sarasota Police Department stopped the vehicle, prompting Wright to flee on foot into an auto parts store. Inside the store, he ran behind the counter into the back where he stumbled into a product bin while attempting to pull from his waistband a fully loaded Smith & Wesson model 40C .40 caliber pistol with one round in the chamber.

During an interview with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Wright admitted to possessing the firearm and being a convicted felon. He previously served three years in Florida State Prison for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and grand theft of a motor vehicle. As a convicted felon, Wright is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which brings together various levels of law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence while making neighborhoods safer. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy under PSN based on fostering community trust and legitimacy, supporting community-based violence prevention organizations, setting focused enforcement priorities strategically, and measuring results.

The investigation was conducted by ATF and the Sarasota Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee prosecuted the case.