Lewis County man sentenced for firearms charge

ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA –Dustin Lee Watson, of Roanoke, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 13 months incarceration for a firearms charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Watson, age 25, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm” in May 2019. Watson, having previously been convicted of a felony and domestic violence, admitted to having a .380 caliber pistol in October 2017 in Upshur County.

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 Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the West Virginia State Police; and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.