Jonathan Wayne Vickers, 35, of Summersville, was sentenced on July 16 to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 13, 2024, a law enforcement officer responded to an ATV crash in Nicholas County and encountered emergency responders treating Vickers. While he was being treated, a SCCY Industries model CPX-2 9mm pistol fell from his person onto the gurney. As part of his guilty plea, Vickers admitted that he possessed the firearm.
Federal law prohibits individuals with prior felony convictions from possessing firearms or ammunition. Vickers knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous felony convictions for burglary and grand larceny on February 10, 2021, and conspiracy to commit breaking and entering on March 12, 2015, both in Nicholas County Circuit Court. He also has two additional prior felony convictions.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the sentence and commended the investigative work of the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as assistance provided by the Nicholas County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence, and Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, described as a nationwide initiative that marshals Department of Justice resources to address illegal immigration issues and protect communities from violent crime.