Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Travis Devon Woods, 35, of Charleston, was sentenced today to three years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 6, 2022, law enforcement officers went to Woods’ Livingston Avenue residence in Charleston to speak with him. Before opening his door for the officers, Woods tossed a loaded Sig Sauer, model P250, .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol out a back window of his residence. Officers recovered the firearm. Woods admitted that he possessed the firearm and tossed it out the window because he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Woods knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on July 1, 2015, and first-degree robbery in Kanawha County Circuit Court on March 19, 2009.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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. 2:22-cr-229.

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