Huntington Man Pleads Guilty To Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm
Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 11:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
HUNTINGTON, W.VA.- On Monday, January 13, 2025, Michael Vernon Pinson, Jr., 30, of Huntington, West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers to being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm, convicted felon.
According to U.S. Attorney Will Thompson and charging documents filed in the District Court, on February 20, 2024, members of the Huntington Police Department responded to a call reporting an unconscious man in a vehicle in Huntington, West Virginia.
Police Officers Find Pinson In Vehicle
Upon arrival, responding Police Officers encountered Pinson in the vehicle’s driver’s seat. After removing Pinson from the vehicle, Police Officers conducted a search and located a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun inside the vehicle. A subsequent records check of Pinson uncovered that Pinson had a prior felony conviction, prohibiting him from being in possession of a firearm.
Federal law prohibits an individual with a prior felony conviction from owning or possessing a firearm or ammunition. At the time Police Officers found the handgun in Pinson’s vehicle, Pinson knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his prior felony conviction for unlawful wounding in Cabell County Circuit Court in February 2016.
Following entering his guilty plea on Monday, Judge Chambers accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for April 28, 2025, at which time Pinson faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, or both.
U.S. Attorney Thompson commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for the investigation leading to Pinson’s guilty plea on Monday.
