Bowling Green, KY – A federal grand jury in Bowling Green, KY returned an indictment on yesterday charging a Bowling Green, KY man with possessing multiple firearms, including a sawed-off shotgun, and with possessing with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on or about January 24, 2022, Jimmy Norris, 45, of Bowling Green, KY possessed with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. On or about January 24, 2022, Norris, a convicted felon, possessed a Sig Sauer P320 semiautomatic pistol, a Colt Government MKIV/Series 70 semiautomatic pistol, a Ruger LCR revolver, a Superior Arms Inc. S15 semiautomatic rifle with bump stock, a Savage 110 rifle, a weapon made from a New England Firearms Pardner SB1 .20-gauge shotgun, with a barrel length of less than eighteen (18) inches, and ammunition. Norris was previously convicted of the following felonies: First-Degree Promoting Contraband, First-Degree Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, First-Degree Wanton Endangerment, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. On or about January 24, 2022, Norris also possessed a Sig Sauer P320 semiautomatic pistol, in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. Finally, on or about January 24, 2022, Norris possessed a weapon made from a New England Firearms Pardner SB1, .20-gauge shotgun, having a barrel length of less than eighteen (18) inches, that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Norris is charged with possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of an unregistered firearm. The defendant is scheduled for his arraignment on February 23, 2022, before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Brent Brennenstuhl of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years, and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and ATF Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Bowling Green/Warren County Drug Task Force are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Yurchisin II is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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