Christopher Watson, Illegal Gun Possession, Ohio 2019

A 29-year-old Dayton man has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm, in violation of federal law and his prior felony conviction.

Christopher Watson was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 42 months in prison followed by three years of court supervision for illegally possessing a firearm. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose on April 24, 2019.

According to the Statement of Facts in this case, task force officers searched a house in west Dayton in March 2018 and found a loaded 9mm handgun holding 16 rounds of ammunition in a bedroom. Investigators determined that the gun belonged to Watson. Because Watson had been convicted of felony drug possession in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court in May 2011, he was prohibited from having a firearm or ammunition.

Watson pleaded guilty in January 2019 to illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the Safe Streets Task Force, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Hunt, who represented the United States in this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Justice Department reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Defendant: Christopher Watson

Criminal Charges: Illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

City and State: Dayton, Ohio

Date: April 24, 2019

Sentence: 42 months in prison followed by three years of court supervision

Defendant’s Background: Watson was convicted of felony drug possession in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court in May 2011, making him prohibited from having a firearm or ammunition.

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