Parkersburg man sentenced to federal prison for gun crimes

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg man was sentenced to prison today for federal gun charges, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Austin Russell Ash, 21, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for one count of possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Ash was also sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. The sentences will be served concurrently.

As part of an investigation in June 2015, the Parkersburg Police Department conducted a search at the house where Austin Ash resided on Laird Avenue in Parkersburg. During the search, law enforcement discovered a CBC, 715T model, .22 caliber rifle with an obliterated serial number in Ash’s bedroom. Ash admitted to law enforcement that he possessed the gun and that he had removed the serial number. He further admitted to law enforcement that at the time he possessed the gun he was a user of marijuana.

The Parkersburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Clint Carte is responsible for the prosecution. United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence.

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 working with existing local programs that target gun crime.

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