CHARLESTON, W. Va. — A Nicholas County couple who broke into Johnson’s Sporting Goods in Summersville and stole firearms pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges.
Matthew England, 28 and Lyndsey England, 26, pleaded guilty to possession of stolen firearms before the United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. in Charleston.
On September 26, 2011, officers from the Summersville Police Department responded to an alarm at Johnson’s Sporting Goods on Webster Road and upon arrival they saw signs of forced entry into the business.
The owner reported that 14 firearms had been stolen, several of which were recovered during investigations of other crimes, and in 2013, police traced the stolen firearms to the Englands.
Both guilty parties admitted stealing the firearms when questioned by authorities and each defendant faces up to 10 years in federal prison when sentenced.
Matthew England entered his guilty plea on May 8, 2014 and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 27, 2014 while Lyndsey England entered her plea on Monday and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 27, 2014.
The Summersville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation. and Assistant United States Attorney, Joshua Hanks is in charge of the prosecution.