Project Guardian: Five Felons Appear in Federal Court on Gun Charges

CHARLESTON, W.Va. –   Five felons appeared in federal court on gun charges this week, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.

Paul William Martin, 34, of South Charleston, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms.  Martin was also sentenced to 18 months for violating his previous term of supervised release, which will run concurrently.  A federal grand jury convicted Martin in December of 2019, following a two-day trial.  Martin was indicted on being a felon in possession of a firearm due to previous convictions for possession of a stolen vehicle, forgery, daytime burglary, and fraudulent use of an access device in Kanawha County, West Virginia.  Martin also had a previous federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm in the Southern District of West Virginia.  At the time of his arrest for this charge, Martin was on supervised release for that previous conviction.  On October 12, 2018, Jason Buzzard had picked up Martin at the Sheetz gas station in order to sell him firearms.  As part of the transaction, Martin and Buzzard were going to exchange drugs as well as guns and cash.  Shortly after they met, and while they were en route to conduct the deal, Martin and Buzzard were stopped by officers with the South Charleston Police Department.  Those officers were able to locate and recover a .25 semi-automatic handgun and a .22 caliber revolver.   The South Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).   United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorneys L. Alexander Hamner and Andrew Tessman handled the prosecution.

Michael Q. Cottrell, 23, of Charleston, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of firearms.  A federal jury convicted Cottrell, 23, on November 8, 2019, of possessing firearms despite being prohibited as a felon.  On August 25, 2018, Cottrell was the driver of a vehicle that crashed on Garrison Avenue in the early morning hours. Cottrell left the scene of the car crash while a male passenger remained inside the overturned car. The car caught on fire and elderly residents of Garrison Avenue had to extinguish the flames. Investigators discovered a jail call from Cottrell in which he admitted to speeding down Garrison Avenue and crashing his car into a telephone pole and a fence. Police recovered two firearms, a pistol and a revolver, at the scene of the crash. At trial, evidence established that Cottrell threw one of the firearms next to a nearby shed in a resident’s yard. Cottrell had been seen earlier that same night with the other firearm, which juveniles playing basketball located hours after the crash. At trial, Cottrell stipulated that he was a felon and that he knew he was a felon at the time of the car crash.  The Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin F. Scott and Joshua C. Hanks handled the prosecution.

Shad Michael Knight, 27, of Parkersburg, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Knight admitted that on October 21, 2019, he was driving a blue Chevrolet Cruze when it was pulled over in the 1000 block of 29^th Street in Parkersburg due to a busted tail light and Knight having a suspended driver’s license.  During the traffic stop a Parkersburg Police Department K-9 responded to the scene and provided a positive indication for the presence of controlled substances within the vehicle.  The vehicle was then searched, and officers located a backpack behind the driver’s seat containing a 9mm pistol, two loaded magazines, two boxes of 9mm ammunition, several small plastic bags, and a small amount of methamphetamine.  Knight admitted that the firearm was within his possession, that he had placed the firearm in the backpack prior to the traffic stop, and that he knew that he was not permitted to possess firearms under federal law.  Knight had previously been convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver in Wood County Circuit Court, and was still on parole for that offense when this incident occurred.    Knight faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced on June 24, 2020.  The Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force, the Parkersburg Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation.   United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is handling the prosecution.

Jeromee Todd Donaway, 31, of Parkersburg, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  On February 25, 2019, the Parkersburg Police Department responded to a residence on Broadway Avenue to investigate a complaint that Donaway had been seen waiving a firearm while screaming at someone.  The responding officers detained Donaway and located a loaded Cobra .380 caliber pistol.  At the time of the arrest, Donaway was on bond for a previous incident on December 22, 2018 when the Vienna Police Department seized two pistols from him during a traffic stop on Grand Central Avenue.  As a convicted felon, Donaway was prohibited from possessing the firearms.  During the plea hearing, Donaway admitted that he possessed the firearms on both occasions.  He further admitted that at the time he possessed the weapons, he knew he had been convicted of several felony offenses including being convicted in Wood County Circuit Court in 2017 of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.  Donaway faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on June 2, 2020.  The Parkersburg Police Department and the Vienna Police Department conducted the investigation.   United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Josh Hanks is handling the prosecution.

Ricky Nelson, 31, of Logan County, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Nelson admitted that on April 30, 2018, he possessed a RG Model 23, .22 in Logan County, West Virginia.  While in his possession, the gun fired, shooting another person.  His possession of the firearm was illegal due to his having been convicted in the Circuit Court of Logan County for robbery in the first degree in violation of W.Va. Code § 61-2-12.   Nelson faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on June 16, 2020.  The Boone County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.   United States District Senior Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Arthur is handling the prosecution.

These cases are part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted these cases with support from the Project Guardian partners noted above. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.            

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