CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A Jackson County man plead guilty to federal drug and firearm offenses, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Christopher Spaulding, 47, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber. Stuart commended the investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
“Spaulding wanted to trade meth for a firearm and then he attempted to obstruct justice," said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Two horrible wrongs don’t make a right - it just lands you in federal prison."
Spaulding admitted that on Dec. 19, 2018, in the Walmart parking lot in Ripley, West Virginia, he took possession of a firearm from a cooperating witness. At that time, Spaulding was in possession of methamphetamine and intended to trade the methamphetamine for the firearm. Spaulding further admitted that he made calls from the jail to ask individuals to approach the cooperating witness in an effort to get the witness to change their story.
Spaulding faces a minimum of five years and up to life in federal prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 16, 2019. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is handling the prosecution.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is 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.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
