RACINE — A 28-year-old Racine man with four previous felony convictions faces a new charge after his arrest last week.
Miguel E. Sierra is charged with a felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum possible prison term of 10 years and a $25,000 fine.
Sierra remains in custody in the Racine County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.
The criminal complaint: traffic stop turns up felony possession of a firearm by convicted felon
A Racine County Sheriff’s Department deputy stopped Sierra’s vehicle as it traveled south on I-94, and as he approached, he observed an odor of marijuana. A records check showed Sierra’s previous felony conviction and also noted that he currently is under Department of Corrections supervision.
During a search of the vehicle, police located a sheathed knife underneath the front passenger seat, a glass smoking pipe in the back pocket of the front passenger’s seat and a firearm with an extended magazine in a blue purse in the rear compartment of the Jeep.
Police spoke to Sierra and one of the passengers, who denied knowing about the firearm. The two other passengers stated the firearm belonged to Sierra, and he gave it to the other woman and told her to put it in her purse. That woman later confirmed the story, the complaint states.
Court records show that Sierra was convicted in 2012 for two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, which were amended from first-degree intentional homicide, along with one felony count each of burglary and possession with intent to deliver THC.
Sierra served nearly six years in prison in that case.
Sierra is due back in Racine County Circuit Court on Thursday for an 8:30 a.m. preliminary hearing.
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