Fred Pace

Editor

CHARLESTON — United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that two individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Beckley on illegal firearm possession charges.

According to an indictment filed last week, Erling Amato Lagos-Sanchez, 23, of Whitesville, was charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

On September 29, 2012, Lagos-Sanchez allegedly possessed a loaded 9-millimeter pistol near Raleigh County.

According to a separate indictment, Kenneth Richard Nance, 42, of Barboursville, allegedly possessed a .25 caliber pistol on December 7, 2011 near Huntington.

At the time of the alleged firearm possession, Nance was subject to a court order that was issued by Family Court of Cabell County, which prohibited attempted use or threatened use of physical force that would reasonably cause bodily injury.

According to a third indictment, Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Beckley inmate Randy Prentice, 47, allegedly escaped from the correctional facility on Sept. 19, 2012.

Lagos-Sanchez and Nance each face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Prentice faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

The investigations were conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorneys John File and Hunter P. Smith are in charge of the prosecutions.

The Lagos-Sanchez and Nance matters are being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.

Editor’s note: The charges contained in the indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.