U.S. Attorney: Convicted felon had 'the pistol equivalent of an AK-47'
On Christmas Day 2020, police pulled over the car in which Nahya Wimpye was a passenger and found a loaded gun that prosecutors described as "the pistol equivalent of an AK-47."
At the time, Wimpye was still under supervision by authorities after serving two years in state prison for illegally possessing a gun as well as trying to escape from police. He had been released from prison about seven months before.
But those convictions only tell part of the story. Wimpye pleaded guilty in 2018 to the gun and escape charges in exchange for prosecutors dismissing more serious charges, including two counts of felonious assault. In one case, Wimpye was accused of shooting a man in the face during a robbery, according to court documents. In another, he was accused of shooting a juvenile in the lower back. Both victims survived.
Court records don't specify why prosecutors dismissed the more serious charges, but it's possible the victims wouldn't cooperate. He wasn't allowed to possess a gun in 2018 because he had been convicted of assaulting a corrections officer.
This week, a federal judge in Cincinnati sentenced Wimpye, 25, to 4½ years in prison for being a felon in possession of the AK-47-like pistol.
The gun − a Century Arms Micro Draco, 7.62 by 39 mm − had a high-capacity magazine loaded with 17 rounds, court documents say. An 18th round was in the gun's chamber.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker said the gun "essentially is the pistol equivalent of an AK-47." He said Wimpye's DNA was found on the gun.
It was discovered during the Dec. 25, 2020 traffic stop in the back seat of the Hyundai Sonata, underneath a jacket, according to court documents.
The Sonata's driver didn't initially pull over, court documents say. A Hamilton County sheriff's deputy initially activated his lights and sirens on Shepherd's Lane near Lockland, but the car then headed south on Interstate 75. It exited on Cooper Avenue in Lockland, where additional officers assisted, and the car finally stopped.
After being charged in state court, Wimpye was out on bond when he was arrested at least one more time for illegally possessing a gun, officials aid. He was indicted on the federal gun charge in October 2021.
In court documents, prosecutors said Wimpye's criminal history is filled with "gun offenses, assaults on law enforcement and violations of prison rules."
Wimpye, prosecutors said, "has been a criminal since he was 13 years old and continues the pattern of illegally possessing firearms despite all attempts to disarm him."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: U.S. Attorney: Convicted felon had 'the pistol equivalent of an AK-47'
