OMAHA, Neb. -- A 25-year-old convicted felon who reportedly hid a handgun inside a grill on his back deck has been sentenced to prison.

Kaleb A. Johnson, 25, of Omaha, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court as a felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Johnson to 77 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.  After his release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.

Johnson, who was on state probation for a felony Possession with Intent to Deliver Narcotics conviction, had a search clause as part of his probation requirement.  On April 29, 2020, state probation officers searched Johnson’s residence. Johnson was not home, but officers located a loaded Para 1911 Expert Commander .45 caliber handgun inside of a grill on the back deck. It had an extended magazine with 14 live .45 caliber rounds of ammunition and a live round in the chamber.  Officers learned that the firearm had been reported stolen in Omaha on September 18, 2019.  Johnson, who has previous convictions for Attempted Robbery, Felony Shoplifting, and Possession with Intent to Deliver Narcotics, is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Johnson was apprehended later in the day on April 29, 2020.  Following his arrest, investigating officers secured a court ordered buccal swab of his DNA. Forensic testing found DNA on the firearm and concluded it to be Johnson’s with a certainty in the septillions.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Omaha Police Department.