Pensacola Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison as a Habitual Felony Offender

May 22, 2017

A Pensacola man will serve the next fifteen years in prison as a Habitual Felony Offender for possession of a short-barreled riffle, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and driving without a valid driver license.

On August 13, 2016, a traffic stop was initiated on a vehicle driven by Kiara Sanders by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. When the deputy approached the vehicle, he smelled a strong odor of marijuana. A K- 9 arrived at the scene and gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics. A search of the vehicle was conducted which revealed a short-barreled rifle in the console. Sanders admitted that he did not have a valid driver’s license and that he was a convicted felon.

Kiara Sanders was deemed to be a Habitual Felony Offender based on his prior criminal history which includes convictions for burglary, theft, trafficking in stolen property, false information to a pawnbroker, criminal mischief, battery upon a jail detainee, robbery without a weapon, possession of marijuana, violation of probation, and driving while license suspended. He was most recently released from state prison in 2014.

On May 19, 2017, Circuit Judge Thomas Dannheisser sentenced Kiara Sanders to 15 years in state prison as a Habitual Felony Offender. On February 20, 2017, Sanders pled no contest to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Short-Barreled Rifle, and Driving with No Valid Driver’s License.

The investigation and arrest were conducted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Cierra Burns prosecuted the case.