2 Men Found Guilty Of Ammunition, Weapons Charges By Grand Jury

CLEVELAND, OHIO — Two local men were found guilty of ammunition charges this week after a federal grand jury returned separate verdicts this week for the suspects, both of whom had previous felony convictions, officials announced on Friday.

The two cases were the first jury trials held in the Northern District of Ohio since March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A jury in Cleveland convicted 35-year-old Akron resident Jaron Kirkland of one count of a felon being in possession of a firearm or ammunition on Monday. On Tuesday, a jury convicted Ronald Mickel, 41, Lorain, of one count of being in possession of ammunition.

“Federal jurors in Cleveland and Akron sent a strong message to those who illegally possess weapons or ammunition,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said in a news release issued Friday. “Both of these men have a long history of previous convictions for crimes of violence including multiple domestic violence convictions.

“These verdicts are a victory for the victims of these offenders and for the cities of Akron and Cleveland. We have not let the COVID-19 pandemic reduce the timeliness and effectiveness of our law enforcement response, and we are pleased that the criminal justice system has been able to safely move forward with jury trials during this difficult time.”

Herdman said statistics show that domestic violence offenders with a firearm are far more likely to potentially use it against their spouse or law enforcement.

According to the news release, Kirkland knowingly possessed a .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol and three rounds of ammunition for the gun last year. Kirkland is prohibited from possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of two separate felony domestic violence charges on June 18, 2015 and November 8, 2016, in Summit County.

Authorities said that Mickel knowingly possessed 32 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition last year. Mickel is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition after previously being convicted of felony aggravated robbery on June 18, 1999, felony domestic violence on May 27, 2014, felony domestic violence and intimidation of a victim on July 27, 2015, felony burglary on September 30, 2015, and felony domestic violence in January of 2019, in Lorain County.

Both men are scheduled to be sentenced early next year.