CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced today to eight years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Denzil Weatherspoon, 29, ran from officers with the Charleston Police Department on February 4, 2020. Upon detaining Weatherspoon, officers recovered a loaded Rohm Model RG23 .22-caliber revolver in his jacket pocket.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Weatherspoon knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms because of two prior felony convictions: for unlawful wounding on August 18, 2014, in Kanawha County Circuit Court; and for aggravated assault on November 10, 2016, for in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the excellent work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Former Assistant United States Attorney Nick Miller 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. 2:20-cr-138.
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