ALBANY — A Valdosta man was sentenced to seven years in federal prison late last month on a weapons charge, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.

David Earl Butler, 30, was sentenced in Albany federal court Wednesday after being convicted in Valdosta’s federal court in November for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the statement said. He also received three years of supervised release following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Butler was taken into custody by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office April 3, 2018, on an outstanding felony warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, the statement said.

During a search of the home, deputies found a loaded .40-caliber Desert Eagle handgun and a box of .40-caliber ammunition.

Butler was previously convicted of aggravated assault and terroristic threats in Lowndes County Superior Court, according to the federal statement, and is on felony probation. It is illegal for convicted felons to possess firearms.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.