HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - A Hurricane man pled guilty today to a federal gun charge, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Michael Shawn Alford, 38, entered his guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office, the Dunbar Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“Another felon in possession conviction," said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “ATF and our state and local law enforcement partners have intensified their efforts and worked a significant number of gun crime cases over the last nine months. By doing so, they are making West Virginia safer for all of us."
Alford admitted that On Sept. 24, 2017, he was riding a motorcycle in the area of Dry Ridge Road in Milton. The motorcycle broke down and Alford began to push it down the road. When a deputy from the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene, Alford went behind a tree in the woods close to the road. The deputy heard Alford in the woods and asked him to come out to the road. The deputy then went behind the tree where Alford had been and recovered a Smith and Wesson, Model M&P Shield, 9mm handgun. Alford was prohibited from possessing any firearm under federal law because of felony convictions in Kanawha County Circuit Court for aggravated robbery in 2001 and for unlawful assault in 2009.
Alford faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 14, 2019.
Assistant United States Attorneys Clint Carte and Stephanie Taylor are responsible for the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
