CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A Wood County man was sentenced to 103 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Jeromee Todd Donaway, 31, of Parkersburg, also will serve three years on supervised release.
Donaway pled guilty in March 2020 and admitted that he possessed firearms on two occasions while on parole after being convicted in Wood County Circuit Court in September 2017 of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. On Feb. 25, 2019, the Parkersburg Police Department responded to a residence on Broadway Avenue to investigate a complaint that Donaway had been seen waving a firearm while screaming at someone. The responding officers detained Donaway and located a loaded Cobra.380 caliber pistol in Donaway’s backpack. At the time of the arrest, Donaway was on bond for a previous incident that occurred on Dec. 22, 2018 when the Vienna Police Department seized two pistols from him during a traffic stop on Grand Central Avenue. A backpack in the vehicle contained quantities of suspected methamphetamine and heroin. Donaway has three prior convictions of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, as well as convictions for carrying a dangerous weapon and attempting to disarm a police officer.
The Parkersburg Police Department and the Vienna Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks handled the prosecution. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence.
The case was 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 the case with support from the Project Guardian partners noted above. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-00268.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
