Rhodes Gets 2.5 Years for Illegal Gun Possession

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – William Leon Rhodes, 50, of Gandeeville, West Virginia, is headed to federal prison for two and a half years after a jury found him guilty of being a repeat offender with a penchant for illegal firearms. Rhodes received a two-year sentence for possessing a gun as a convicted felon, with an additional eight months tacked on for violating the terms of his supervised release – sentences to be served consecutively.

The case, announced by United States Attorney Carol Casto, stems from a June 17, 2016 search of Rhodes’ Roane County residence. Law enforcement officers discovered a loaded Heritage .22 caliber revolver hidden under his pillow. A matching box for the weapon was found on his nightstand, along with a box of .22 caliber ammunition in the living room. Rhodes, during a post-arrest interview, readily admitted knowledge of the firearm, referring to it as “my pistol.”

This wasn’t Rhodes’ first rodeo with the law, or with firearms charges. Court records reveal a 1990 conviction for grand larceny in Jackson County Circuit Court, and a 2012 federal conviction for – you guessed it – being a felon in possession of a firearm in the Southern District of West Virginia. Federal law clearly prohibits Rhodes from owning or possessing any firearms due to these prior convictions. To add insult to injury, he was already on supervised release when the Heritage revolver was discovered.

The bust was the result of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the West Virginia State Police, and the Roane County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Meredith George Thomas and R. Gregory McVey successfully prosecuted the case before a federal jury. United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. delivered the sentence, sending a clear message that West Virginia will not tolerate repeat gun violations.

This prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a national initiative aimed at reducing gun violence by bolstering existing local programs. It’s a network designed to connect the dots and get illegal guns off the streets, and in this case, it landed a repeat offender squarely behind bars. Rhodes’ history suggests a pattern of disregard for the law, and federal authorities are hoping this lengthy sentence will finally disrupt that pattern.

The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on further developments. For updates, follow us on Twitter @SDWVNews. Rhodes’ attorneys could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.