CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of ammunition and for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Dana Stevenson, 31, illegally possessed 9mm caliber ammunition on July 5, 2021. The ammunition was recovered at the scene of a daytime shooting at Central and Glenwood avenues on Charleston’s West Side.
Approximately five weeks after this incident, on August 12, 2021, South Charleston Police officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Stevenson, who fled at a high rate of speed. Stevenson was eventually apprehended and officers recovered approximately 38 grams of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia from the vehicle. The quantity of fentanyl and the presence of certain paraphernalia established that Stevenson intended to distribute the drug.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Stevenson knew he was prohibited from possessing ammunition because of his 2018 federal felony convictions in the Southern District of West Virginia for the distribution of heroin within 1,000 feet of a school and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nowles Heinrich and Stephanie S. Taylor prosecuted 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.
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 No. 2:21-cr-161.
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