CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two men were sentenced to prison today for federal gun crimes.
Jonathan Fields, 38, of Fayette County was sentenced to 78 months in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms. According to court documents, Fields admitted that during the early morning hours of November 6 and 7, 2019, he was illegally hunting deer in Nicholas County and shot two deer without a license and out of season. While doing so, he possessed two rifles: a Bushmaster Firearms 5.56 caliber rifle with a 30-round capacity magazine; and a Remington .243 caliber rifle. On November 12, 2019, Fields left the two firearms at the home of a friend in Summersville where they were later recovered by law enforcement officers with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Fields admitted that he knew he had a 2013 felony conviction in Nicholas County Circuit Court for voluntary manslaughter and was prohibited from possessing the firearms. The West Virginia DNR conducted the investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Nowles Heinrich handled the prosecution.
Derrick Clark, 30, of Greensboro, North Carolina, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms. According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, Clark admitted that on April 13, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his Cross Lanes residence and found three handguns: a semi-automatic 9mm Taurus; a .32 caliber semi-automatic Savage; and a 9mm semi-automatic C9 Highpoint. Officers also located assorted ammunition inside Clark’s residence. Clark admitted that he knew he had a 2013 conviction in Kanawha County Circuit Court for fleeing in a vehicle with reckless indifference to the safety of others and was prohibited from possessing the firearms. The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Hamner handled the prosecution.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia DNR, the ATF, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and the DEA.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:20-cr-00128 (Fields) and 2:18-cr-00103(Clark).
###