Paducah, Kentucky – A Paducah man was sentenced today to 77 months in prison for possessing a rifle after having been previously convicted of a felony.
According to court documents, Denzel Powell, 29, of Paducah, Kentucky possessed a Ruger, Model AR-556 rifle in March of 2021. When Powell was arrested on this charge in June of 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky, he was in possession of three additional firearms, to include an AR-15 style short-barreled rifle described as a “ghost gun” with no markings, and a Glock pistol stolen from Paducah. Powell was convicted in 2017 for Second-Degree Manslaughter, in relation to a 2016 shooting at the “Brick House” in Paducah.
“This case serves as an example of the collaboration which takes place on an ongoing basis between Louisville Division ATF agents and local law enforcement agencies throughout the Western District,” stated Michael A. Bennett U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. “We will continue to aggressively prosecute violations of federal firearms laws in order to make our communities safer for all citizens.”
“Reducing violent crime and protecting our communities is our priority,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Division. “ATF will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to make sure those individuals who commit firearms crimes are arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and Paducah Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Mayfield Police Department and the Graves County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Hancock prosecuted the case.
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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.
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