Two men who were arrested under the Aiken Safe Communities initiative were sentenced to federal prison this week after pleading guilty to weapons charges.
Jesse James Quarles, 34, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to felon in possession of a firearm. Kenneth Islar, 29, was sentenced to 75 months in prison after pleading guilty to felon in possession of a firearm.
The men pleaded guilty in October.
Quarles and Islar were both participants in the Aiken Safe Communities initiative, which was launched in early 2013 to give repeat violent offenders a chance to get their lives back on track and make better choices.
The program identifies participants based on their criminal histories, and those participants are "put on notice" at a special meeting, where they are informed of how their crimes are affecting the community and that they face an expedited trial and stiffer sentencing if they re-offend. Participants are also presented with opportunities from local businesses and organizations to start making healthier choices.
Quarles and Islar were put on notice at the most recent meeting in May.
Quarles' indictment states that on April 9, 2013, he had a firearm in his possession after already being convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison.
According to an Aiken Public Safety incident report, Quarles tried to strike someone with a pistol during an argument. Quarles allegedly followed the victim for a short time when he tried to leave the scene, and threw the gun behind a church building on Park Avenue. Investigators later recovered the pistol.
Quarles has multiple convictions on his record, including unlawful carrying of a pistol and possession of methamphetamine, according to court records.
Islar was arrested after a May 29 shooting incident in the parking lot of BI-LO on York Street. The victim in that incident told police he was in the parking lot when Islar called him by name, presented a handgun and then shot once. He fled on foot.
Islar was arrested June 5 on unrelated weapons charges.
The Safe Communities initiative bolsters partnerships between state and federal prosecutors when adjudicating cases, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Crick said it's not uncommon for defendants arrested on state charges to be prosecuted in federal courts.