BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – In a shocking turn of events, Alex Barrera, a 26-year-old inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison for possessing a weapon.
The crime took place on April 5, 2022, when an FCI McDowell staff member conducting a random pat-down search discovered a handcrafted weapon, commonly known as a ‘shank,’ in the waistband of Barrera’s pants. The object, a piece of metal approximately six and one-half inches long, had one end sharpened to a point and the other end wrapped in cloth and a shoelace as a grip. Barrera admitted to possessing the object and further confessed that it was designed and intended to be used as a weapon.
United States Attorney Will Thompson commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, stating that the sentence handed down to Barrera was a direct result of their tireless efforts.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence, which includes three years of supervised release following Barrera’s imprisonment. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess prosecuted the case.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety and security within the federal prison system. Authorities are urging inmates to respect the rules and regulations in place to prevent such incidents.
The case has been assigned the designation 1:22-cr-151. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for the case number.
Barrera’s prison sentence will run consecutively to the sentence he is currently serving.
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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