CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Charles Dana Johnson II, a 36-year-old from Cairo, pleaded guilty on Monday to illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
The charge stems from a traffic stop in Parkersburg on November 17, 2024, when a law enforcement officer found Johnson carrying a loaded SCCY DVG-1 9mm pistol and a Walther P22 .22-caliber pistol in his waistband.
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Johnson admitted to possessing the weapons, despite knowing his prior felony convictions barred him from owning firearms.
Court records show he was convicted of possession with intent to deliver heroin in 2016 and first-degree robbery in 2012, both in Wood County Circuit Court.
Johnson faces up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
His sentencing is set for October 2, 2025. U.S. District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the plea hearing, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuting the case.
Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston praised the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office for their investigative work.
The case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods and Operation Take Back America, federal initiatives aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence while targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
