Joshua Edie, 34, of Chapmanville, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing firearms as a prohibited person, marking another strike in the federal crackdown on gun violence in Appalachia. The Logan County man admitted to harboring five guns in his apartment while actively using methamphetamine and under the legal shadow of a prior domestic violence conviction.
According to court documents filed in the Southern District of West Virginia, Edie possessed the firearms around January 30, 2017. At the time, he was barred from owning weapons due to his 2010 Ohio conviction for misdemeanor domestic violence—a disqualifying offense under federal law. He further admitted to ongoing meth use, another automatic red flag under U.S. firearms statutes.
U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart, who announced the plea, made no concessions to sentiment. “I support our Second Amendment rights wholeheartedly,” Stuart said. “I also firmly believe in protecting our gun rights by keeping firearms out of the hands of drug users, domestic abusers, and felons. We will keep working with our law enforcement partners to prosecute criminals who ignore and violate our gun laws.”
The investigation was a joint push by the Chapmanville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), who zeroed in on Edie through local intelligence and federal background checks. His arrest and subsequent guilty plea were presented as a textbook example of Project Safe Neighborhoods in action—a DOJ initiative designed to funnel resources into hot zones of gun violence through coordinated federal, state, and local efforts.
Edie now faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin, who presided over the plea hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Gabriele Wohl is handling the prosecution.
This case underscores the federal government’s aggressive stance on illegal gun possession, especially when tied to substance abuse and past violence. In coal-country West Virginia, where gun culture runs deep, authorities are drawing a hard line: rights come with responsibilities, and breaking federal law means a one-way ticket to prison.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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