NLR man sentenced to 15 years in gun case

A Pulaski County man arrested in June 2022 for firearm possession by a felon was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years, 8 months in federal prison for the offense.

Kamron Leemonte Mathis, 27, of North Little Rock — also known as Killa Kam, Lil Thug and Lil Kam — was indicted Dec. 7, 2022, by a federal grand jury in Little Rock on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded guilty Oct. 11, 2023, to the charge before U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Jr.

On Tuesday, Moody sentenced Mathis to 188 months in prison — eight months above the minimum 15-year sentence, to be followed by five years supervised release after he leaves federal custody. Under federal sentencing statutes, Mathis, who has a history of prior felony convictions involving firearms, could have received a maximum sentence of life in prison.

On June 25, 2022, court records said, Mathis, who has prior convictions for robbery, aggravated assault, first-degree battery, and a previous conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, was stopped by North Little Rock police for having an expired registration. At the time of the stop, Mathis was on parole for a 2017 conviction for his role in the robbery of a Jacksonville man who was beaten and shot during a holdup for which he received a sentence of 15 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

At the time of his 2017 conviction, court records showed, Mathis was on probation for prior convictions on charges of aggravated assault and robbery.

During a search of Mathis and his vehicle, police found a small baggie of marijuana in his pocket, records said, and Mathis told police there was a gun hidden under the driver’s seat belonging to his child’s mother that he said he was returning to her. In addition to the Glock 9mm pistol, police also found two magazines and 24 rounds of ammunition in the vehicle.

Records said when the woman was asked about the pistol, she told police she did not know Mathis had the gun and had not asked him to return it to her.

Classified as an armed career criminal, Mathis’ sentence was based on the offense as well as his documented violent criminal history, said a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Mathis was represented in court by Edward Schieffler of Helena-West Helena. He was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Jegley.

At the hearing, Moody denied motions requesting that Mathis be released from custody, that his indictment be dismissed on Second Amendment grounds, and that he be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea on Second Amendment grounds.