On March 3, 2026, Dontia Grant, 29 years old, of Michigan City, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Grant was sentenced to 66 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release. According to documents in the case, Grant was pulled over in Michigan City for speeding. After an officer asked for his license and registration, Grant drove away from the traffic stop and led police on a pursuit for about a mile and a half before jumping out of his car and running away from police. When they caught up to him, officers found that Grant was carrying a loaded pistol with a 20-round extended magazine. Grant has prior felony convictions including unlawful transfer of a firearm and resisting law enforcement, and he was therefore prohibited from possessing the firearm in this case.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Michigan City Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katelan McKenzie Doyle and Luke N. Reilander and former Assistant United States Attorney Molly E. Donnelly.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.