Rockland County, New York
By Ben Crnic
A man who was on parole for a previous felony gun conviction when he fled a traffic stop in Rockland County and left behind a loaded pistol linked to him via DNA will spend years behind bars.
Keimoni Spinks, 27, was sentenced to nine years in prison in Rockland County Court on Wednesday, Aug. 12, following his conviction earlier this year after a five-day bench trial, the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Judge Kevin F. Russo sentenced Spinks, who also received five years of post-release supervision for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He also received a concurrent sentence of three-and-a-half to seven years for third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, prosecutors said.
As Daily Voice previously reported, the case began on July 29, 2024, at around 11:45 a.m., when a Ramapo Police officer stopped a vehicle for excessively tinted windows.
Spinks, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, ran from the vehicle while the driver remained at the scene, according to the DA’s Office.
A search of the vehicle then uncovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol inside a bag on the floor of the front passenger area. The gun contained seven rounds of ammunition, including one in the chamber.
Surveillance footage captured Spinks running from the vehicle, and a Spring Valley Police officer was able to identify him, according to prosecutors.
Spinks was later found at a Spring Valley hotel and taken into custody. Investigators also determined that his DNA was on the bag containing the gun, the DA’s Office said.
At the time of the traffic stop, Spinks had been out of prison for only about two months and was on parole for another felony gun conviction, prosecutors said.
Spinks had been convicted of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in Orange County in 2018 and sentenced to six years in prison. He was released to parole on May 28, 2024, according to the DA’s Office.