NEWARK, NJ — A Newark man made an initial appearance in federal court Aug. 13 on charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Jamar Battle, 30, was charged by complaint Aug. 10 with one count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was arrested Aug. 11 and appeared two days later before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court, where it was ordered that he be detained.
According to the complaint filed in the case, on July 4, Battle, who was convicted in 2015 for illegally possessing a firearm, fired a handgun on Avon Avenue in Newark after engaging in a verbal dispute with another person. While the defendant did not hit his intended target, he did hit a 5-year-old child who had been walking down the same street with her father. The child was injured and required medical treatment.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Carpenito credited law enforcement officers of the Newark Department of Public Safety, under the direction of Director Anthony F. Ambrose; special agents of the Department of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John B. Devito; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie; and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of acting Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proved guilty in a court of law.
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