A federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky returned an indictment on February 14, 2024, charging a Russell County man with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division made the announcement.

According to the indictment, on November 23, 2023, Damien N. Wilson, 29, of Russell Springs, Kentucky, possessed a Ruger, model SR9, 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol. Wilson was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

On December 16, 2022, in Casey Circuit Court, Wilson was convicted of first-degree possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine – first offense.

On January 13, 2022, in Casey Circuit Court, Wilson was convicted of first-degree possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine – first offense.

On February 20, 2019, in Russell Circuit Court, Wilson was convicted of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance – methamphetamine.

On March 28, 2018, in Adair Circuit Court, Wilson was convicted of first-degree possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine – first offense.

Wilson was arraigned on February 21, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. He remains in federal custody pending trial. If convicted, Wilson faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system.  

The case is being investigated by the ATF Bowling Green Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Nicholas Rabold, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, is prosecuting the 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.