Detroit Man Sentenced for Federal Gun Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit man who was caught with a firearm after a bar fight in Huntington in April of 2013 was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  James Anthony Mitchell, 25, previously pled guilty to prohibited possession of a firearm by a felon.  U.S. Attorney Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the Huntington Police Department and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“What do you call a felon from Detroit with an illegal firearm who gets in a bar fight in Huntington? An inmate,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Nothing good ever happens after midnight.  And nothing good happens at a bar at 3:00a.m. either.  A prior felon, this wise guy decides to travel to Huntington with a prohibited firearm and get in a fight at a bar.  Not such a wise guy after all.” 

At approximately 3:00a.m. on April 7, 2013, officers with the Huntington Police Department were dispatched to the Rehab bar located in the 1200 block of 4th Avenue in Huntington to respond to a large fight in the bar’s parking lot.  The caller also reported that an individual was injured at the scene.  When an officer arrived at Rehab, a bystander provided a description of a male who had just left the area of the fight in possession of a gun.  The officer radioed the description to other officers in the area and a separate officer observed Mitchell, who matched the suspect description, walking in front of the Greyhound bus station away from Rehab.  The officer conducted a frisk of Mitchell and located a loaded Taurus .38 caliber pistol that Mitchell had concealed in his waistband.  Officers also discovered that Mitchell had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including the offense of assault during the commission of a felony in Cabell County Circuit Court, and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. 

Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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