FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2012
MERCER COUNTY MAN SENTENCED TO 42 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR ILLEGAL FIREARM AND DRUG POSSESSION
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Steven W. Carter, 44, of Mercer County, W.Va., was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for cultivating 50 or more marijuana plants and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Carter previously pleaded guilty in September. On March 30, 2010, law enforcement officers searched the defendant’s Beeson, Mercer County residence and out buildings and found 92 marijuana plants and seven firearms. Carter admitted that he cultivated the plants and admitted to possessing the firearms.
The defendant was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2002 felony conviction in Jefferson County, Oklahoma for second offense possession of marijuana.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the West Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney John File handled the prosecution. Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the sentencing.
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