A Bay County man convicted of possessing a short-barreled shotgun and improper exhibition of a firearm in December was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
William Walter Cambley, III, 29, had been out of prison less than 2 months when deputies were called to a disturbance involving him and a shotgun at his grandmother’s house in Fountain.
Friday, Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark sentenced him to 10 years in prison for illegally possessing a short-barreled shotgun, and 723 days for improper display of a firearm. The defendant also was sentenced to 7 years in prison on a negotiated plea for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentences run concurrently.
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The defendant had been released from prison, where he was serving time for being a felon in possession of a firearm, 44 days before his arrest March 20, 2020, at his grandmother’s residence.
Prosecutors Lynelle Dowe and Jacob Cook presented evidence and witnesses at his December trial that he had been living with his grandmother after his release from prison. Testimony showed that during an argument he became angry, grabbed a shotgun, “cocked” it, then pointed it in his grandmother’s direction.
A witness testified the defendant said there were 3 shells in the gun – one for her, one for the dog, and one for his mother. Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies and a Department of Fish and Wildlife officer responded, a K-9 found the shotgun nearby, and the defendant was arrested. The K-9 found the shotgun in a nearby field.
For additional information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.