Lewis County man sentenced for firearms charge

ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Samuel Lee Donaldson, Jr., of Weston, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 98 months of incarceration for a firearms charge, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced.

After a two-day trial in April 2021, a jury found Donaldson, 37, guilty of one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Donaldson is a person prohibited from having a firearm because of prior convictions of domestic battery and third offense DUI. On October 5, 2019, a Lewis County Sheriff’s Deputy and a Weston Police Department K-9 unit responded to a 911 call about a felon with a firearm. When the officers made eye contact with Donaldson, he immediately fled on foot. Just before the officers apprehended him, Donaldson threw a 9mm semi-automatic firearm, which was quickly recovered.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher L. Bauer and Andrew R. Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, and the Weston Police Department investigated.

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