HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Jonathan Lee Sturkey, 37, of Huntington, was sentenced to one year and six months 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 December 30, 2021, law enforcement officers observed the driver and passenger of a vehicle at the Third Avenue Speedway smoking marijuana. When Sturkey, the passenger, was asked to step out of the vehicle, he admitted to the officers that he had a firearm. Officers found a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .38-caliber revolver in Sturkey’s left coat pocket.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Sturkey knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for the distribution of a quantity of cocaine base in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on May 23, 2011.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor prosecuted the case.