CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Three felons were sentenced to federal prison for gun possession, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.
Shannon Brown, 44, of Charleston, received an enhanced sentence of 46 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Brown previously admitted that on June 6, 2019, he possessed a Smith and Wesson,.40 caliber handgun, in and affecting interstate commerce. Brown ran from the police and threw the gun and a small amount of cocaine during the chase, both of which were recovered by the police. The Court increased Brown’s sentence because he possessed both the firearm and cocaine. Brown has two previous felony drug convictions from 1998 and 2004 in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County, West Virginia, and was aware that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm. The Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Steven I. Loew handled the prosecution.
Joshua Adam Dowler, 37, of Wood County, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Dowler previously admitted that on April 12, 2018, he possessed a Taurus 9mm pistol while target shooting at a residence on Cain Hill Road. He was prohibited from possessing the firearm due to having been convicted of burglary in 2007. He was on parole at the time he possessed the firearm. The United States Marshals Service, the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, the West Virginia State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks handled the prosecution.
Dennis Leroy Burns II, 43, of Boone County, was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He previously pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Burns admitted that on Nov. 12, 2018, he was walking along Mud River Road in Boone County when a trooper with the West Virginia State Police encountered him. The trooper investigated and ultimately located a loaded, High-Point, Model C9, 9mm pistol in a ditch just behind Burns, which Burns had possessed. Burns was prohibited from possessing the firearm due to a 2007 felony conviction in Forsyth County Superior Court in Winston Salem, North Carolina, for attempting to obtain money under false pretenses. The West Virginia State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Keefe and Greg McVey handled the prosecution.
This cases are part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from the Project Guardian partners listed above. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
The case against Shannon Brown was prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, 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
