Vineland, NJ, man sentenced for giving loaded gun to 12-year-old

A Vineland man is headed to prison for giving a loaded gun to a 12-year-old during a traffic stop and telling him to put it in his pants.

Jana S. Denby of Vineland, NJ, Sentenced

The Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office says late last week, 27-year-old Jana S. Denby was sentenced to five years in state prison for second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

He will be required to serve one year of his five-year prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

According to authorities, the charge stemmed from an incident that began when Denby left his home on Arcadia Place in Vineland and a caller advised police he had a gun.

Police stopped a vehicle being driven by Denby's grandmother with him in the passenger seat and a 12-year-old in the back.

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That child was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun. When questioned about it, the child told police that when they began to stop the vehicle, Denby passed him the gun and told him to put it in his pants.

At sentencing, Denby was ordered to forfeit the firearm that was seized during the arrest, which was a .45 Auto Caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol.

The State was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Lindsay Sarafova. The defendant was represented by Ronald B. Thompson, Esq.