Dorsey R. Penley

Is Convicted Felon

By BILL JONES

Staff Writer

A Greene County man who had pleaded guilty in January to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm was sentenced in U.S. District Court here on Monday to 30 months in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer, who imposed sentence on Dorsey R. Penley, 51, of 1865 Pyburn Lane, also ordered him to spend three years on supervised federal probation after he completes his prison sentence.

The judge waived imposition of a fine in Penley's case, records show.

Judge Greer also ordered that while Penley is on supervised probation he attend an educational program and learn how to read and write.

In a sentencing memorandum to the court, Penley's defense attorney, William L. Ricker, said that Penley, a high school dropout who obtained a GED diploma, could not read or write.

Penley was released on bond after sentence was imposed and will be allowed to "self report" to prison when notified to do so by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, according to court records.

Penley had faced a possible maximum sentence of "not more than 10 years" in federal prison, plus fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised probation of up to three years, according to court records.

An indictment returned against Penley last Nov. 13 by a federal grand jury here indicated that on Oct. 2, 2007, he possessed a Colt Detective Special .38 caliber revolver, plus 44 rounds of .38-caliber ammunition and three .12-gauge shotgun shells after having been previously convicted of felony charges in state court.

Under a plea agreement reached in the case, Penley pleaded guilty last Jan. 4 to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm last October. The other charges were to be dismissed at sentencing under the plea agreement.

The plea agreement noted that on Oct. 2, 2007, Greene County Sheriff's Deputies Michael Jones and Rick Williams went to Penley's residence and asked for permission to search it.

After Penley gave the officers permission for the search, according to the plea agreement, they found a box containing 44 rounds of Remington .38-caliber ammunition in the top drawer of a dresser in Penley's bedroom.

The deputies, according to the plea agreement, asked Penley if he had a firearm and he told them a firearm was in a bedroom closet. The officers found a Colt Detective Special .38-cal. revolver, loaded with six rounds of ammunition.

Three shotgun shells also were found in the kitchen of Penley's residence, according to the plea agreement.

The agreement stated Penley had previously been convicted in Greene County Criminal Court, on May 10, 2002, of sale and delivery of a Schedule VI controlled substance on Nov. 29, 2000, and possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance with intent to sell it on Dec. 18, 2001.