Blue Ridge Man Pleads Guilty To West Virginia Federal Firearms Offense

Thursday, May 8, 2025, 7:45  A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

CHARLESTON, W.VA.- A 42-year-old Blue Ridge, Georgia, man learned he could be facing up to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty on Wednesday to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

     On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, Jeremiah Clinton Gray, 42, of Blue Ridge, Georgia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Court Judge David A. Faber to being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm.

Gray Faces Up To 15 Years In Federal Prison

     Following entering his guilty plea, Judge Faber accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for August 12, 2025. At that time, Gray faces up to 15 years in federal prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. When sentenced, a U.S. District Court Judge will determine the term of imprisonment based on the seriousness of the offense and Gray’s prior criminal history.

According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston and charging documents filed with the District Court, on July 22, 2024, Police Officers responded to a report of a man inside a Jackson County, Ohio, business with a firearm, body armor, and a badge.

     The individual, later identified as Gray, left the business in a motor vehicle without a license plate and fled from Police Officers as they attempted to stop the vehicle. The resulting pursuit led Police Officers into West Virginia, where the vehicle was stopped in Charleston, West Virginia after Police Officers deployed spike strips.

     Gray was taken into custody, where Police Officers found a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun on his person and a loaded Mossberg .410-gauge shotgun inside the vehicle.

     Federal law prohibits a person previously convicted of a felony from owning or possessing a firearm and ammunition. Gray knew he was a prohibited person when he possessed the firearms on July 22, 2024, due to his prior felony conviction for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams of cocaine in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee in October 2023.

     Acting U.S. Attorney Johnston commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the West Virginia State Police, and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.