Ellis Willard, the former Sharkey County Justice Court judge who has admitted illegal weapons possession, was sentenced to 27 months in prison Monday after a federal judge said Willard possesses both good and bad qualities.

“I recognize the good in Ellis Willard, but I also recognize the bad,” U.S. District Judge David Bramlette told a packed courtroom at the Federal Courthouse on Crawford Street.

Willard, who has been in federal custody in Madison County since he pleaded guilty in December to having more than 100 weapons, was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

He served as justice court judge for Sharkey County from 1995 until he was removed from the bench in 2001 for other reasons and was arrested after authorities found the automatic guns at his business, Beaudron’s Service Center in Washington County, in February 2004.

After his arrest after a raid by agents of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Willard was released on a $50,000 bond, which was later revoked because of accusations of threatening a witness. The raid followed an undercover investigation.

The state and federal agents also raided Willard’s home, his property on Lake Washington and a business in Washington County, along with another business in Humphreys County.

The maximum sentence for Willard’s convictions was 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Anderson said the government recommended 24 to 30 months, a 50 percent deduction from the guideline range.

Bramlette said he took into consideration the courtroom full of Willard’s family and friends, as well as a large stack of letters written on his behalf.

“This is the most people I’ve seen (in a courtroom) in 15 years on the bench,” he said as he addressed the court. He said the letters “will impact the decision this court makes.”

Defense attorney Cynthia Stewart brought up two objections to claims made by prosecutors – an obstruction of justice charge and denial of acceptance to the charges set before him – to help decrease her client’s sentence.

Bramlette chose the lesser sentence of 27 months based on conflicting evidence of whether Willard threatened a witness, which would have made him guilty of obstructing justice.

Another factor was that Bramlette believed Willard had accepted his responsibilities by appearing “very contrite” at his sentencing and accepting the crime of possessing and transferring fully automatic weapons illegally.

Bramlette allowed Willard to speak on his own behalf before he decided on the sentence. Willard said he understood what he had done and apologized for his crime.

“All I can say is, ‘I’m sorry,'” he said. “I have brought shame to myself and my family.”

Bramlette described Willard’s firearms crime and a list of previous charges – 24 counts of judicial misconduct, which led to Willard’s removal from the bench in June 2001 – as “homecooking,” and said they were something that should be in a novel by John Grisham or William Faulkner.

Willard was accused of conducting court business at Beaudron’s Service Center, suspending fines owed by criminal defendants, giving legal advice to would-be defendants before their cases could be heard and using the state’s criminal process to collect a civil debt. He was also indicted by a Sharkey County grand jury in 2003 for receiving stolen property.

Willard’s attorney also said he has received unfair treatment at Madison County Jail and that his heart condition has worsened during his incarceration.

Bramlette told U.S. attorneys to invoke a full investigation of the Madison facility.

Bramlette said he took Willard’s health into consideration while deciding on his sentence. He also said he will request that Willard be moved to the Yazoo County Jail to be closer to his family. If the judge’s request is granted, it may take two months before Willard is moved, Bramlette said.

Willard finished third and was defeated by Lindsey Adams in the 2003 election for Sharkey County sheriff.