‘Known’ Rock Hill gang member sentenced in federal court

A man federal prosecutors labeled a “known gang member” will spend almost four years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm in violation of federal law and his previous felony conviction.

DeMario Ontrey Ware, 27, of Rock Hill, was sentenced Tuesday in Columbia to 46 months in prison with three years of supervised release to follow, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The sentence is to be served consecutive to the 12-year state sentence Ware is serving for armed robbery, burglary second degree, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.

On May 22, 2014, Rock Hill police officers approached Ware outside a home on Hickory Lane to arrest him on an outstanding criminal domestic violence warrant. While searching Ware, police found a loaded Bryco .380 caliber handgun in his front pocket.

Ware is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. He has a prior federal conviction for armed bank robbery and prior state convictions for discharging a firearm into a dwelling, and criminal conspiracy to commit assault and battery first degree.

Ware pleaded guilty in federal court in September to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which prosecutes firearm cases.

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 5:12 PM with the headline "‘Known’ Rock Hill gang member sentenced in federal court."