Charleston Convicted Felon Sentenced For Federal Gun Crime
Saturday, July 12, 2025, 7:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
CHARLESTON, W.VA.- A 45-year-old Charleston, West Virginia, man will be spending a little over the next six years in federal prison after being sentenced on Thursday for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, after West Virginia State Parole Officers found firearms in his home.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston, on Thursday, July 10, 2025, Jason Allen Rhule, 45, of Charleston, West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and was sentenced by U.S, District Court Judge Thomas E, Johnston to 77 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to being a Prohibited Person in Posssession of a Firearm, Convicted Felon.
According To Charging Information
According to the charging documents filed with the District Court, on July 24, 2024, Rhule was serving a term of state parole for a prior felony conviction, when Parole Officers conducted a search of his Charleston, West Virginia home as a condition of the terms of his parole. During the search, Parole Officers found a Taurus .40-caliber handgun and a Palmetto State Armory multi-caliber rifle in his bedroom. Parole Officers also located loaded ammunition magazines, including high-capacity magazines for the multi-caliber rifle.
In accordance with federal law, a person with a prior felony conviction is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms and ammunition. Rhule knew that when he possessed the firearms on July 24, 2024, he was prohibited due to his prior felony convictions for attempted manufacture of a controlled substance in Putnam County Circuit Court in October of 2022 and attempted grand larceny in Kanawha County Circuit Court in July of 2023.
Acting U.S. Attorney Johnston commended the investigative work of the West Virginia Parole Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which led to the successful prosecution of Rhule.
