Paducah, KY – A federal grand jury in Paducah returned an indictment yesterday charging a Calloway County woman with illegally transporting a firearm.
According to court documents, Denise Collins, 35, of Murray, Kentucky was indicted for illegally transporting into Kentucky, a firearm that was stolen outside of the state.
Collins is charged with illegal transportation or receipt in state of residency of a firearm purchased or acquired outside of state of residency. The defendant will be scheduled to make her initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division made the announcement.
The ATF, the McCracken County Sherriff’s Department, and the Paris Tennessee Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Porter is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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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