Eight people have been indicted on various weapon and drug charges in western Kentucky.
U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman was joined by Owensboro Police and the ATF at a press conference on Thursday.
“These charges are to send a message…we will not tolerate gun violence, not in this community.”
Coleman said he doesn’t want to see Owensboro face the same challenges as Louisville, where gun violence has been on the rise.
“We don’t want the citizens of Daviess County to face the degree of violence we are facing and has been allowed to occur over time in Louisville,” he added.
Owensboro Police say they’ve seen a spike in the number of gun seizures in the last year. And they are providing names daily to the ATF for future indictments.
“These are not first time offenders,” said Chief Arthur Ealum. “These are recidivist offenders who have over time proven they really don’t care about the laws and the punishment. When they are faced with federal time, it’s more serious.”
If convicted at trial, the maximum sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm is no more than ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
If the firearm was used to further a drug trafficking crime, a minimum of five years could be added to the sentence.
- 32-year-old Joseph L. Howell of Owensboro has been charged in a three count indictment with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, use of/carrying a firearm during/in relation to a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The other seven defendants are facing a one count indictment of being a felon in possession of a firearm. They include:
- Larry Andrew Barnett, age 31, of Owensboro, Kentucky
- Jeremy L. Morrow, age 27, of Owensboro, Kentucky
- Christen Shane Stewart, age 30, of Owensboro, Kentucky
- Seth Aaron Fenwick, age 28, of Owensboro, Kentucky
- Jonathan Robert Miller, age 24, of Owensboro, Kentucky
- Carl Dikeith Warren, age 33, of Owensboro, Kentucky
- Jeremy V. Denson, age 27, of Owensboro, Kentucky
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