Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jamon L. Woodson, 39, of Dunbar, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection with a shooting outside a Charleston business.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 30, 2022, Woodson had stopped his vehicle outside Jet Life Apparel on Leon Sullivan Way in Charleston and fired a pistol in the direction of the store. Following the shooting, law enforcement officers recovered a 9mm shell casing from the street and found a bullet hole at the entrance to Jet Life Apparel.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Woodson knew he was prohibited from possessing ammunition because of his felony conviction for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and a quantity of marijuana in United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia on January 7, 2011.

Following the shooting, officers obtained a search warrant for Jet Life Apparel’s video surveillance system. The video surveillance footage showed Kevin Gerard Denson, 36, of Charleston, carrying a Smith & Wesson, model M&P 15, 5.56-caliber rifle and Jonathan Kennedy, 41, of St. Albans, carrying a Dickinson, model XXPA, 12-gauge shotgun at the time of the altercation with Woodson. Officers recovered both firearms from a vehicle in an alley near Jet Life Apparel. Each firearm was loaded with a high-capacity drum magazine. Denson and Kennedy previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and await sentencing.

Woodson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

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.

Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Nowles Heinrich is prosecuting 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-183.

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