Escambia County Felon Sentenced On Federal Drug And Firearm Charges

December 3, 2025

An Escambia County man has been sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison on drug and firearm charges.

John Cody Hawthorne, 32, previously pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a short-barreled rifle, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Court documents show that Hawthorne, who was on state probation at the time, was in possession of multiple firearms, as well as illegal narcotics. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hawthorne’s residence and located seven firearms in his bedroom, one of which was a short-barreled rifle, as well as over 400 live rounds of ammunition, marijuana, methamphetamine, ballistic body armor, and several thousand dollars.

“I applaud the outstanding work of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners to remove this violent felon from our streets,” U.S. Attorney John P. Heeking said. “Keeping our communities safe is our top priority, and my office will aggressively prosecute repeat offenders like this defendant with the full force of the law.”

“Hawthorne’s seven and a half year sentence reflects both the seriousness of his actions and our commitment to holding violent offenders accountable,” said Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons. “We are proud of our partnerships and the effect they have on making our community safer.”

The case involved a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

Comments

2 Responses to “Escambia County Felon Sentenced On Federal Drug And Firearm Charges”

  1. Steve on December 3rd, 2025 12:34 pm

    Pretty good defense attorney .

  2. JJ on December 3rd, 2025 11:34 am

    Appeats to me 15-25 years be more fitting.
    Be will be out before he is 40 and young enough to start over in crime.
    Multi guns,drugs and he was already on probation. Life even seems better.





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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News