West Haven Man Sentenced to Prison on Gun Charge: Feds

WEST HAVEN, CT — A West Haven man, who once encouraged “shooting cops” on Facebook, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for illegally possessing firearms, according to authorities.

Rohan A. James-Dennie Jr., 22, was also sentenced Thursday to three years of supervised release following the prison term, U.S. States Attorney Deirdre M. Daly announced in a press release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on Nov. 1, 2015, a Connecticut State Trooper stopped a vehicle that James-Dennie was operating erratically in Essex. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a .380 caliber handgun with a hollow point bullet in the magazine of the weapon, approximately one-half kilogram of marijuana and more than $3,400 in cash, according to Daly.

The firearm had been reported stolen during a residential burglary in 2013.

James-Dennie was stopped by West Haven Police on Jan. 12, 2016, and a search of the vehicle at that time revealed that he was in the possession of a .22 caliber handgun loaded with six rounds of ammunition, more than 200 grams of marijuana and nearly $5,000 in cash, according to authorities.

The firearm’s serial number was partially obliterated.

James-Dennie was arrested on state charges in both instances and was released on bond.

“On July 7, 2016, the Connecticut Intelligence Center (CTIC) issued a statewide ‘Officer Safety’ notification regarding James-Dennie after a post on (his) Facebook page included ‘We need to just start shooting cops RS that’s the only way…100100,’ Daly wrote in the press release. “James-Dennie was arrested the following day in East Haven on a federal criminal complaint charging him with firearm and drug offenses. At the time of his arrest, he had $3,500 in cash and three grams of marijuana in his pocket. A search of an apartment connected to James-Dennie revealed an additional 17 grams of marijuana and a laser attachment for a gun.”

James-Dennie has been detained since his federal arrest. On Oct. 11, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.

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