CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two Oak Hill men will serve federal prison time for charges related to guns stolen from a Fayette County pawn shop.
Jawuan Akil Watts, 31, and Lesley Scott Watkins, 50, were both sentenced for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, Watts received a sentence of eight years in prison, while Watkins will spend three years and ten months behind bars.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 4, 2024, Watts, along with several others, broke into a pawn shop three times while the store was closed and stole 33 firearms, ammunition, coins, and a gaming console. Watts then traded, sold, or gave many of the guns to people in the community, including Watkins, who obtained several of the stolen firearms.
Both men were prohibited from possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions, Watts for burglary in 2014 and Watkins for delivery of a controlled substance in 2008. Both men pleaded guilty, admitting to possessing firearms in July of 2024.
Sixteen of the firearms stolen from the pawn shop have yet to be recovered.