Grant County man indicted for firearms violation

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – William Jonathan Turner, of Petersburg, West Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury today for a firearms charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Turner, age 39, is charged with one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearms.” Turner, a person prohibited from having a firearm, is accused of having three pistols and a rifle in March 2018 in Hampshire County.

Turner faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the West Virginia State Police, and the Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. 

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.