Project Safe Neighborhoods: Two Felons Appear in Federal Court for Gun Crimes in Charleston

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two men appeared in federal court this week for gun crimes committed in Charleston, according to United States Attorney Mike Stuart.

Christopher Reed, 29, of Ashland, Kentucky, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. His prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release. Reed previously admitted that on February 3, 2019, he was operating a vehicle in Charleston when law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation. A passenger in the vehicle was determined to have an outstanding arrest warrant from Detroit, Michigan for disarming a police officer. Officers searched the vehicle and discovered Reed had a loaded Jimenez Arms J.A. 25 pistol in the console of his vehicle. Reed admitted that he possessed the firearm and that he was a convicted felon. He had previously been convicted in 2013 in Detroit, Michigan for carrying a concealed weapon and in 2014 in Cabell County Circuit Court for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation. Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Julie White and former Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Saunders handled the prosecution.

Jordan Kinney, 23, of Charleston, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Kinney admitted that on June 14, 2019, he was present at the Go-Mart on Washington Street West in Charleston, and possessed a loaded Taurus 9mm caliber handgun, which he used to shoot approximately six times at another individual. He then fled the location and discarded the handgun in the front yard of a residence a few blocks away. The following day officers with the Charleston Police Department responded to the residence and recovered the same handgun. Kinney was not allowed to possess the firearm because he had previously been convicted of robbery in the second degree. Kinney faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on October 19, 2020. The Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Nowles H. Heinrich is handling the prosecution.

These cases are part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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. 2:19-cr-00108 (Reed) and Case No. 2:19-cr-00291 (Kinney).

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