Columbia Man Sentenced to 21 Months on Gun, Ammunition Charge

A Columbia man will spend 21 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said Wednesday.

Michael Rell Osborne, 44, previously pleaded guilty in federal court to the charge. Osborne’s sentence also includes three years of supervised release. 

On March 20, 2011, Columbia Police responded to a domestic disturbance at an apartment on Marlboro Street, and arrested Osborne on charges of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Authorities say Osborne was released on bond later that day and that evening the woman involved in the earlier domestic disturbance called police after learning Osborne was seen in the area of her residence.  

City police found Osborne nearby sitting alone in a car on River Drive in the early morning hours the next day. A loaded .40 caliber gun was found in his front pants pocket, according to the attorney’s office. 

Osborne is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and/or ammunition based on his prior state felony convictions for second-degree grand larceny and criminal domestic violence as well as a prior federal conviction for being in possession of a firearm, a news release said.