CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A Charleston man pleaded guilty today to a federal gun charge, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Jermain Santell Hill, 38, entered his guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 15, 2016, in Charleston, officers with the Charleston Police Department were conducting a traffic stop when they heard a nearby gunshot. As officers ran towards the sound of the gunshot, one of the officers observed Hill leaving the area. The officer pursued Hill to a location behind a residence on Main Street and saw Hill drop an object. After Hill was detained, officers checked that location and recovered a loaded Kel-Tec.380 caliber pistol. Hill was prohibited from possessing any firearm under federal law because of a 2015 conviction in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia for possession with intent to distribute crack.
Hill faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the gun charge when he is sentenced on September 7, 2017.
The Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is responsible for the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by working with existing local programs that target gun crime.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
