Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Escape

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Ronald Edward Tinsley, 52, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to escape after failing to return to a federal reentry facility.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 19, 2025, Tinsley failed to return from an approved work pass to Dismas Charities Inc., a Bureau of Prisons residential reentry facility in St. Albans. Law enforcement officers arrested Tinsley on the resulting warrant on May 13, 2025.

Tinsley was confined at Dismas Charities as a result of his conviction for possession of a stolen firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on October 18, 2021.

Tinsley is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service

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United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer D. Gordon is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-88.

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