Charleston Man Sentenced To Prison On Federal Firearms Charge

Saturday, November 9, 2024, 9:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

CHARLESTON, W.VA.- On Thursday, November 7, 2024, Timothy Jarrett Brown, 43, of Charleston, West Virginia, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas E. Johnston to 27 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on the federal charge of Being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm, Convicted Felon.

     According to U.S. Attorney Will Thompson and documents filed with the district court, on June 24, 2023, Police Officers conducted a traffic stop of a 2011 Mercedes C300 driven by Brown in the Jefferson area of Kanawha County, West Virginia. During the stop, a Police K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle.

Police Officers Find Handgun Hidden In Mercedes

     A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered a small amount of methamphetamine in Brown’s possession, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun hidden in the electrical compartment of the vehicle’s trunk, and 9mm ammunition inside the vehicle. During questioning, Brown told Police Officers he possessed the handgun for protection. Following the vehicle search, Brown was taken into custody and charged.

     Under federal law, a person with a prior felony conviction is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm or ammunition. Brown knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his previous felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in Kanawha County Circuit on January 31, 2020.

During Second Traffic Stop, Police Officers Find Gun

     Just under two months later, on August 19, 2024, a Police Officer conducted a traffic stop on Brown while he was driving his Mercedes through St Albans, West Virginia. Additional Police Officers arrived at the scene and commenced a search of the vehicle, and they located a Kahr Arms 9mm pistol hidden in the engine block area of the Mercedes. A female passenger in the vehicle told Police Officers that Brown had asked her to say the pistol belonged to her.

     In handing down the sentence, Judge Johnston noted Brown’s long and extensive criminal history, including convictions for indecent liberties with a child, battery, domestic battery, violation of a protective order, failure to register as a sex offender, criminal possession of a firearm, and possession with intent deliver a controlled substance, heroin.

     U.S. Attorney Thompson commended the investigative efforts of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the St. Albans Police Department.