Huntington felon pleads guilty to federal gun crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man pleaded guilty today a federal gun charge, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Jermaine D. Cathey, 36, entered his guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On January 2, 2017, officers from the Huntington Police Department observed Cathey walking and screaming in the middle of Veteran’s Memorial Boulevard in Huntington. When officers approached Cathey, they saw that he had a pistol in his right hand. Cathey was prohibited from possessing any firearm under federal law because of multiple felony convictions, including a 2013 conviction in Cabell County Circuit Court for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Cathey faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on December 11, 2017.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Huntington Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is responsible for the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking with existing local programs targeting gun crime.

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