SAVANNAH, Ga (WSAV) — A Chatham County man with a lengthy criminal record faces 10 years in prison for illegally carrying a gun.

According to David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, Thomas Kevin Robinson, 52, of Savannah was sentenced to 120 months in prison after he previously plead guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. U.S. District Court Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered him to serve three years of supervised release after completion of the prison sentence after levying the statutory maximum penalty against Robinson.

“Thomas Kevin Robinson is a textbook example of a recidivist felon whose selfish actions fuel violent crime in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our neighborhoods are safer with Robinson and criminals like him disarmed and behind bars.”

Savannah Police arrested Robinson in April 2021 after receiving a report of a shoplifting incident at Family dollar where an employee states that Robinson pointed a gun at him after the employee confronted the suspect. Robinson also led police on a high-speed chase when they attempted to stop his vehicle later that night. Eventually, Robinson was found in the backyard of a residential home with a pistol on the ground nearby.

Authorities say that Robinson has multiple prior arrests and more than 20 criminal convictions, primarily for drug and shoplifting offenses.

“Robinson, with a lengthy criminal history, once again put innocent civilians at risk during the commission of this robbery. He has repeatedly proven that he has no regard for the law,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Savannah Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.