FLINT – Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said a 29-year-old Flint man has been convicted of multiple felonies after being arrested by Genesee County Sheriff’s Deputies while riding a minibike and being illegally in possession of a ghost gun.
A jury found Willie Ray Cummings, Jr. guilty on eight counts including Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Felon in Possession of Ammunition, three counts of Felony Firearm second offense, and two counts of Resisting and Obstructing Police.
According to testimony at trial, two Genesee County Sheriff’s Deputies were on patrol at Fenton and Hemphill Roads when they observed Cummings riding a minibike in the roadway without registration stickers. When the deputies activated their lights and sirens, Cummings rode up onto the adjacent sidewalk and continued on. The deputies drove up onto the sidewalk in front of Cummings blocking his path and forcing him to stop.
After approaching Cummings, a deputy patted him down and as soon as the deputy felt a gun in his pants pocket, Cummings punched the deputy, jumped on him and continued to assault him. The second deputy immediately used his taser on Cummings and he was taken into custody. A non-serialized “Ghost Gun” loaded with sixteen 9mm rounds was found in defendant’s pocket.
Ghost guns are legal, do-it-yourself, homemade firearms assembled from kits without serial numbers, and they are unregistered so they cannot be traced. They are often the weapon of choice among convicted felons who are not allowed to purchase or legally possess firearms.
“This conviction takes one more ghost gun off the streets of Flint,” said Prosecutor Leyton. “Ghost guns have become a serious problem in recent years with the number of violent crimes involving ghost guns sharply rising nationwide. Without serial numbers, ghost guns make it impossible for police to trace them back to
their original source or previous owners which can hinder investigations, including the identification of individuals involved in crime.”
Cummings will be sentenced on May 19. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison to be served consecutive to any sentence he receives on the remaining charges.
