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A Columbia man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday for illegally possessing a firearm.

James Cheek of Columbia was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison without parole.

The 31-year-old pleaded guilty on Oct. 4, 2012, to being a felon in possession of a firearm (an FEG .45-caliber pistol) on March 13, 2012.

Officers found Cheek, apparently asleep, sitting in the driver’s seat of a reported suspicious vehicle. The car was parked partially in a convenience store’s parking lot and partially in a yard.

Cheek was arrested on outstanding warrants and officers found the loaded pistol on the driver’s side floor board.

Federal law makes it illegal for anyone who convicted of a felony to possess any firearm or ammunition. Cheek has prior felony convictions for assault, unlawful use of a weapon and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident.