Project Safe Neighborhoods Update: Three Appear in Federal Court on Gun Charges

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that three defendants appeared in federal court this week on gun crimes.

Tristan Monroe Baldwin, 23, of Charleston, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.  Following his prison sentence, Baldwin must complete an in-patient drug treatment program as part of his three year term of supervised release.  According to public court hearings and documents, on October 11, 2017, the pastor of Baber-Agee United Methodist Church entered a building on church property and found Baldwin, who had broken into the building through a window.  Baldwin fled into the woods.  Later the same day, Baldwin burglarized several vehicles on a property on Dutch Creek Road in Charleston, before the property owners’ dogs chased Baldwin away.  Police investigators ultimately found Baldwin carrying a duffle bag that held a loaded .40 caliber pistol, a methamphetamine pipe, and various stolen items.  Baldwin admitted to investigators that he had been heavily using methamphetamine for three years.  As an unlawful drug user, Baldwin was federally prohibited from possessing a firearm.  The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, 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. imposed the sentence.  Assistant United States Attorney Drew O. Inman handled the prosecution.

Melvin Peters, 32,  of Charleston, pled guilty to prohibited possession of a firearm.  Peters admitted that during a traffic stop near the Greyhound Bus Station in Charleston, he threw a Rossi Model 46102, .357 Magnum revolver underneath the car he was driving.  Peters had a previous conviction of domestic battery.  Peters faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced on December 11, 2019.  The ATF and the Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation.  Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is handling the prosecution.

Keanna Carter, of Charleston, pled guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  Carter admitted that she possessed 251 oxycodone pills at her house with the intent to distribute them for money.  Carter further admitted that she possessed firearms for the purpose of assisting her with the drug trafficking.  Carter faces a minimum five year sentence in prison when sentenced on December 11, 2019.  The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) and the Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation.   United States District Judge Joseph Goodwin presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Arthur is handling the prosecution.

These cases are being prosecuted as 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.

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