An Englewood man whom police call a career criminal has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. A federal jury found 45-year old Ernest Chambliss guilty back in December, but wasn’t sentenced until late last week.
Prosecutors said Chambliss sold a gun and prescription drugs to an informant back in April of 2015. The 45-year old already had a long list of felony convictions on his record, including five drug-trafficking offenses and two charges of battery on a law enforcement officer. The case was investigated by both the ATF and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, and was prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program – a nationwide, gun-violence reduction strategy.