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A D.C. man is headed to federal prison for two years after a routine weed stop turned up a stolen, loaded handgun. Charles General, 29, was sentenced today after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, plainclothes D.C. cops spotted General and a crew smoking marijuana in a Southeast parking lot back on October 13, 2023. When officers approached, they smelled the weed and told the group to knock it off. During a search, an officer felt the butt of a gun in General’s coat pocket.
The search turned up a loaded Glock 30S .45 caliber pistol. Turns out, the Glock was stolen during a burglary at a gun shop in Springfield, Virginia. General already had a prior conviction for carrying a pistol without a license – a felony that barred him from legally owning a firearm.
The case was a joint effort by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole prosecuted the case as part of the “Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful” initiative – a Trump-era program aimed at cracking down on gun violence and tougher penalties for firearms offenses.