BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Thomas D. Manns, 37, of Beckley, was sentenced to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 26, 2020, law enforcement officers responded to a report of shots fired at an Ewart Avenue apartment complex in Beckley. The officers encountered Manns holding what they believed to be a firearm as he ran into a stairway. Officers searched the stairway and found a Mossberg model 500AT 12-gauge shotgun in a trash can. Video footage from the apartment complex’s security cameras showed Manns holding the shotgun before he put it in the trash can. Manns admitted to possessing the firearm.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Manns knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for delivery of a controlled substance in Raleigh County Circuit Court on November 29, 2006.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley Police Department.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.