Jerome Ford, 25, was sentenced on Tuesday, June 25 to five years in state prison after entering an "open plea," the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. He'll be eligible for parole after serving three-and-a-half years under the Graves Act.
The Atlantic City task force for state police stopped a vehicle that Ford was a passenger in on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. Troopers searched him after smelling marijuana and being "concerned for their safety."
Police found a loaded .38 Rohm Gesellschaft Derringer Special gun in Ford's pants waistband. He didn't have a permit to own or carry a gun.
Ford is also facing charges in an unrelated shooting in Atlantic City on Friday, May 13, 2022. Investigators said he shot two Atlantic City men, ages 31 and 30, who arrived at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Division, with non-life-threatening injuries.
Ford was indicted on several charges, including first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, first-degree witness tampering, and first-degree gang criminality. Emmanuel Williams is a codefendant in the case.
Anyone with information about the case should call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7666. You can also send an anonymous tip online at ACPO.tips.
You can also call the Crime Stoppers of Atlantic County at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS).
Click here to follow Daily Voice Somers Point-Northfield-Linwood and receive free news updates.