NATCHEZ — Javonte Lamar Butler, 20, of Natchez pleaded guilty Thursday before Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette III to stealing a firearm from a business that is licensed to sell firearms.

U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Kirk Thielhorn, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the guilty plea was in response to charges that stemmed from a Dec. 14, 2018, incident.

“Javonte Lamar Butler visited Peddlers Antique Pawn and Salvage, a federally licensed reseller of firearms located in Natchez,” Hurst said. “While a store employee assisted two other persons, Butler reached into a glass display case, removed a pistol and left the store without lawfully purchasing it.”

Hurst said Butler was indicted on June 14 for stealing a firearm from a business licensed to sell firearms.

“Butler will be sentenced by Judge Bramlette on Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. in Natchez,” Hurst said. “He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.”

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bert Carraway.

The case was part of Project EJECT, which is an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, Hurst said.