HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Two felons appeared before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers this week for gun crimes, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.
Terry James Cox, age 35, of Huntington, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Cox previously pled guilty and admitted that on August 9, 2019, he possessed a Kel-Tec.380 pistol. Cox also admitted that he had been convicted of unlawful wounding and attempt to commit a felony in 2005 and 2010, respectively, and, as a result, was prohibited from carrying a firearm. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with the Huntington Drug Task Force and the Huntington Police Department, conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Greg McVey handled the prosecution.
In a separate case, Anthony Smith, 44, of Wayne, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. On April 8, 2019, Troopers with the West Virginia State Police searched Smith’s vehicle in the parking lot of the Speedway gas station on 5th Street Road in Huntington. Troopers located a loaded sawed off shotgun in the vehicle. Smith admitted the gun was his. Smith was prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law because of a 2005 conviction for the felony offense of Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon in Davidson County, Tennessee. Smith faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 15, 2020. The West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is handling the prosecution.
These cases are 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
