Roland Eight Ball, 23, of Lunenburg County, was convicted recently in Lunenburg Circuit Court on the felony charge of possession of firearm by a convicted felon and felony possession of ammunition. Ball could have been sentenced to a mandatory five years in prison on the felony charge of possession of firearm, however, the Commonwealth amended the charge to be about violation under a previous non-violent felony, rather than a prior violent felony. This resulted in a two-year mandatory sentence as fixed by statute. Ball also had one year of a previously suspended sentence from 2017 revoked for a total sentence of three years to serve. Ball’s charges rose from a hunting incident on Oct. 27, 2017, near his home. Conservation officers were investigating a violation of hunting deer over bait. Ball came out of his house to inquire of the officers what was going on. The officers noted that Ball had a large bulge in his pocket, and Ball voluntarily revealed that it was shotgun shells. Investigators then learned he had been using a shotgun the day before which was turned over to the officers. Ball had been convicted March 9, 2015, of grand larceny of a motor vehicle and received a five-year suspended sentence. He was also convicted in 2017 of unlawful bodily injury as a result of an altercation at which time he was sentenced to five years with all suspended except seven months to serve. Upon his release Ball will be required to be of good behavior for 15 years, complete supervised probation, submit to warrantless searches, comply with directives of mental health counselors, take medication as prescribed, and not be within 100 feet of firearms and ammunition.