TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Lamar Bunch, 35, of Tallahassee, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker to two years and four months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin for the Northern District of Florida announced on Friday, October 23.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, Oct. 23, 2026

Court documents say the case began on February 18, 2026, when an off-duty Leon County Sheriff's Office deputy working a security detail at Dillard's observed Bunch shoplifting. The deputy made contact outside the store and, while talking with him, Bunch opened his backpack, where the deputy could see a pair of jeans with the tags still on them. When the deputy tried to detain him, Bunch fled on foot. He was caught and arrested, and a search of the backpack found the stolen pants, with size and price tags still attached, and a 9-millimeter pistol, the Justice Department said.

Source: FOX49 Tallahassee, Oct. 23, 2026

Bunch was barred from possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions for burglary, robbery and attempted burglary, authorities said. Evidence presented at sentencing also showed that after midnight on February 17, 2026 — the night before the store arrest — Bunch threatened his ex-girlfriend with a silver and black pistol at a gas station. The ex-girlfriend had the store clerk call 911 and locked herself inside the store's bathroom until law enforcement arrived; Bunch left before officers could speak with her and was not found that night, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "Our brave law enforcement partners confront dangerous, armed criminals like this defendant every day in their fight to keep our communities safe, and I am proud to deliver this successful prosecution and prison sentence to make clear that we will not tolerate criminality in my district. Armed serial offenders like this defendant belong behind bars."

The case was investigated by the Leon County Sheriff's Office, the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. McCain. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Justice Department's nationwide initiative coordinating law enforcement and prosecutors against violent crime.