Ritchie County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Charles Dana Johnson II, 37, of Cairo, was sentenced on October 2, 2025, to seven years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 17, 2024, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Johnson in Parkersburg. Johnson admitted that he possessed a loaded SCCY model DVG-1 9mm pistol and a loaded Walther model P22 .22-caliber pistol that the officer found in Johnson’s waistband during the traffic stop.

Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Johnson knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession with intent to deliver heroin on October 2, 2016, and first-degree robbery on January 12, 2012, both in Wood County Circuit Court.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Wood County Sheriff's Office.

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.

This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent 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. 2:25-cr-27.

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