BECKLEY, W.Va. - Two Beckley felons pleaded guilty today to federal gun charges, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Ryan Henry Guerrant, 26, entered his guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm. In a separate prosecution, Clennel Pierre Cobb, 45, also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Aug. 10, 2017, an officer with the Beckley Police Department conducted a traffic stop in Beckley. Guerrant, a passenger in the back seat, informed the officer that he had an Omega, Model 100,.22 caliber revolver at his feet. Guerrant later admitted to law enforcement that he possessed the gun, and that he knew he was not supposed to possess the gun because he was a convicted felon. Guerrant was prohibited from possessing any firearm because of felony convictions in Raleigh County Circuit Court for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in 2013 and escape and attempted robbery in 2010.
In a separate prosecution, Cobb admitted that on Aug. 12, 2016, he possessed a High Point, Model C9, 9mm pistol. Cobb was prohibited from possessing any firearm under federal law because of multiple felony convictions, including drug convictions in 2006 and 2017 in Raleigh County Circuit Court.
Guerrant and Cobb each face up to 10 years in federal prison when they are sentenced on February 7, 2018.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Beckley Police Department conducted the investigations. The plea hearings were held before United States District Judge Irene C. Berger.
These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking with existing local programs targeting gun crime.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
