Montgomery County Man Indicted on Federal Gun Charges, Faces Up to Ten Years in Prison
Latest local results in ongoing U.S. Attorney’s Violent Crime Initiative
CRAWFORDSVILLE — Josh Minkler, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, announced today the federal indictment of Darlington resident Raymond Troy Barnes, age 48, on charges that he illegally possessed a firearm as a convicted felon.
Over the last 18 months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has focused on working closely with our law enforcement partners here in Montgomery County and across the state,
Minkler said. Today’s indictment is yet another prosecution to develop as a result of this important federallocal collaboration.
On November 28, 2011, a Montgomery County court issued a warrant for Barnes’ arrest, and that warrant was served by state and local law enforcement. At that time, Barnes reportedly barricaded himself in his Darlington home, and after a lengthy stand–off, surrendered himself. A subsequent search of Barnes’ home allegedly revealed a Bryco, 9 mm handgun, which the indictment alleges Barnes illegally possessed as a convicted felon.
Barnes’ prior felonies include June 2008 and June 2010 charges of resisting Montgomery County law enforcement. This indictment follows an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, and the Indiana State Police.
Announced in March of 2011, the Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) represents a districtwide strategy to work with local law enforcement and county prosecutors to combat drug traffickers and criminals that use and carry firearms in their illegal activities. In the first nine months of the initiative, the VCI produced a dramatic increase in the number of gun–related charges brought federally – from just 14 felony possession charges in 2010 to 103 last year.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Rinka, who is prosecuting the case for the United States, Barnes faces a possible penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release upon release from imprisonment if he is convicted. An initial hearing will be scheduled before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Indianapolis. An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
###