Monongalia County man admits to firearms charge

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Derrick Morris, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearms charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Morris, age 32, pled guilty to one count of “Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Offense.” Morris, who is prohibited from having a firearm because of a previous conviction, is admitted to having a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol during a drug offense in Monongalia County in November 2018.

Morris faces at least five 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. 

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