CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A Charleston man with a prior felony conviction pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing firearms, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. Kerry A. Drake, 45, fled Saint Albans police last September after officers attempted a routine traffic stop. A chase ensued, and Drake was apprehended in South Charleston when his engine malfunctioned. Officers found a Bushmaster.223 rifle and an Ithaca shotgun in Drake’s car. Both guns were previously reported stolen by their rightful owners.
Lucas Lynch, who was a passenger in Drake’s car at the time of the chase, bailed out of Drake’s moving vehicle as Drake fled. Lynch is currently under indictment by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. (An indictment is an accusation only, and Lynch is presumed innocent until proven guilty.)
Drake faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on June 2, 2014.
The Saint Albans Police Department conducted the investigation, assisted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Erik S. Goes and Jennifer Rada are handling the prosecution. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston, who presided over today’s plea hearing.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
