CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A Parkersburg man was sentenced to federal prison for a federal firearms conviction, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Kevin Lee Ramsey, 30, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Ramsey also will serve three years of supervised release.
“Not only was Ramsey a felon with a gun, he took it one step further and threatened law enforcement, which absolutely will not be tolerated," said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “You can rest assured that my office will advocate for stiff sentences for those who threaten the safety of our law enforcement officers or the public."
Ramsey previously admitted that he possessed a loaded Heckler & Koch 9mm compact semi-automatic pistol within a vehicle in which he was riding as a passenger on Aug. 15, 2019. On that date, the vehicle was stopped by officers with the Parkersburg Police Department near the intersection of 7th Street and Swann Street in Parkersburg. Pursuant to that traffic stop, officers searched the vehicle and discovered the firearm in the glove box directly in front of where Ramsey was seated. At the time that Ramsey possessed this firearm, he knew that he had been previously convicted of the offense of delivery of heroin in Wood County Circuit Court in July of 2015, and was prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
The United States sought a lengthy prison sentence in this case, not only as a result of the defendant’s act of possessing a firearm in violation of the law, but also due to his violent conduct against the law enforcement officers involved in his arrest. During his arrest, Ramsey made several threats against Parkersburg Police Department officers. He kicked them, spit on them and attempted to head butt them. Additionally, he said, “If I had known how this was going to go, I would have grabbed that [expletive] and flicked it at you. I won’t make that mistake again." This is an apparent reference to the firearm that was seized from the defendant and the fact that he would have fired it at officers if he knew that he was ultimately going to be arrested.
The Parkersburg Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe handled the prosecution.
This case was prosecuted as a Project Guardian case, 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 prosecuted this 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-00282.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
