On Monday, Reece Dillon Shepard, 31, appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi and pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm.
In July, Shepard was taken into custody by Morgantown Police and charged with wanton endangerment involving a firearm and being a person prohibited from possessing a firearm, after shots were fired during an altercation outside of a Walnut Street bar.
Shepard had previously been convicted of possession with intent to deliver marijuana in Monongalia County in March 2014 and possession of a firearm without a license in Greene County, Pa., in February 2018.
According to Shepard’s September indictment, he was found to be in possession of a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber gun when he was arrested in July.
Court documents state Shepard willingly entered the guilty plea “without a written plea agreement” pursuant to rule 11 of federal criminal procedure. Shepard also consented to Aloi hearing the plea and waived his right to have an Article III Judge hear his plea.
Aloi’s report from the proceeding stated that Shepard and his attorney Katy J. Cimino acknowledged a plea agreement was not presented, but “after considering the standard plea agreement which is frequently presented in this type of case and discussing the possibility of a plea agreement with his counsel,” he decided to plead guilty without a plea agreement.
With the guilty plea, Shepard faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and a period of supervised release of up to three years. By pleading guilty, he also will forfeit the right to vote, the right to serve on a jury, and the right to legally possess a firearm.
Shepard is currently in the custody of the United States Marshals Service while he awaits sentencing.
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