Defendant In Manchester Gun Case Going From Hookah To Hoosegow

MANCHESTER, CT — A Hartford man who prosecutors said illegally possessed a handgun in Manchester is headed to prison. A judge is also sending him to his room for six months.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Michael Jones, 26, of Hartford, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

Judge Underhill also ordered Jones to serve the first six months of his supervised release in home confinement and to perform 100 hours of community service.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 24, 2021, Jones pointed a firearm at another individual outside of a hookah lounge on Broad Street in Manchester. When Manchester Police arrived on the scene, Jones attempted to flee and discarded the firearm in the rear parking lot of the lounge, according to case records.

Jones was apprehended and the gun, a loaded Taurus G2C 9mm pistol with an extended magazine and an obliterated serial number, was recovered, case records show.

Prior to July 2021, Jones was convicted in state court of criminal possession of a firearm, records show. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

Jones has been detained since his arrest. On June 15, 2022, he entered a guilty plea to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.