CHARLOTTE — Five individuals have been charged with unlawful possession of firearms in separate federal indictments announced this week by Acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence J. Cameron for the Western District of North Carolina.
The indictments are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to combat crime and reduce violence by removing illegal firearms from prohibited individuals and convicted felons. The agencies involved include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
“Protecting communities across Western North Carolina is one of our highest priorities,” said Cameron. “We will continue to enforce federal firearms laws and partner with law enforcement to remove illegal guns from our streets and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.”
Jonathan Glendale Denton, 41, of Charlotte, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Rex Allen Hawkins, 53, of Traphill, N.C., faces charges of possession of firearms by a felon, including a shotgun, a rifle, and ammunition seized from his residence during a probation search.
Mitchell Clydero Patterson, 37, of Spring Lake, N.C., Anthony Dion Tribble, 27, of Charlotte, and Timothy Demetrius Williams, 34, of Charlotte, are each charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Williams also faces an additional charge of possession of a stolen firearm.
The cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, and the charges are allegations at this stage. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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