Two Huntington Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Gun Crimes

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that two Huntington men were sentenced to federal prison for gun crimes.

Jeffrey L. Hodgens, 42, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for theft of a firearm.  He previously pled guilty and admitted that on March 24, 2019, he entered a vehicle that was parked in the 1100 block of 4^th Avenue in Huntington where he located a Colt, 5.56 mm rifle.  Hodgens stole the rifle and admitted that he subsequently traded it to another person in Huntington in exchange for methamphetamine.  When the rifle was later recovered, it was determined that the rifle was capable of firing as a fully automatic machinegun.  The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.  United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.  Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution. 

Craig Eatmon, also known as “Fresh,” 41, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm on two separate occasions. Eatmon admitted that on May 19 and June 17 of 2019,  he sold a firearm at Tri-State Pawn and Jewelry on 4th Avenue in Huntington. At the time he sold the firearms, he had been convicted of a drug related felony and malicious destruction of property in Wayne County, Michigan.   As a result of those convictions, Eatmon was prohibited from possessing the firearms. The ATF conducted the investigation.   United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.  Assistant United States Attorney Greg McVey handled the prosecution.

These cases were 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.

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 Nos. 3:19-cr-00297 (Hodgens) and 3:20-cr-00104 (Eatmon).

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