Felon Caught with Gun in Charleston

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Dunbar man has pleaded guilty to a federal gun crime, according to officials.

David Wayne Watson, 37, was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2020 and pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon on October 19, 2021.

According to court statements, Watson was outside an apartment building near the Go-Mart in North Charleston in November 2019 when officers with the Charleston Police Department responded to a call for shots fired.

Watson agreed to let the officers inside the building to check the welfare of the residents, but an officer observed a firearm in Watson’s pocket while walking up the stairs, court records show.

Watson admitted to being prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery and fleeing from police causing injury.

Watson faces up to 10 years in prison at his sentencing hearing on October 19, 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston commended the investigative work of the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing, with Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White handling the prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, and related court documents can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00141.

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