Gainesville Serial Felon Pleads Guilty to Firearm Offense (DOJ)

Gainesville, Florida - Kenneth Ellis Wetherington, 60, of Gainesville, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "The safety of our communities is not negotiable. To reduce violent crime, it is necessary to incapacitate chronic violent offenders, like this defendant, through robust prosecutions and strict incarceration policies. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute crimes like this to deliver the safe communities our citizens deserve."

Court documents reflect that on the evening of November 21, 2025, law enforcement was dispatched to an apartment complex in reference to multiple reports of shots fired. Upon further investigation, law enforcement learned that the defendant had discharged several "warning shots" from a firearm during a confrontation with other individuals on the property. Law enforcement detained the defendant and obtained a search warrant for his apartment, where they located a handgun, a shotgun, and multiple types of ammunition. The defendant is not permitted to have any firearms or ammunition because he has eleven felony convictions, including a prior conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Wetherington faces a maximum term of fifteen years' imprisonment.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Gainesville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner is prosecuting the case.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville before Chief United States District Judge Allen Winsor.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.