Federal Grand Jury Indicts Hopkinsville Felon for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Paducah, KY - A federal grand jury in Paducah, Kentucky, returned an indictment on February 13, 2024, charging a Hopkinsville man with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Jason Newby of the Hopkinsville Police Department made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Tyrone Poindexter, 42, possessed a Taurus .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol. Poindexter was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

On July 11, 2000, in Christian Circuit Court, Poindexter was convicted of complicity to first-degree manslaughter, complicity to first-degree robbery, and tampering with physical evidence.

On June 11, 2013, in Christian Circuit Court, Poindexter was convicted of theft by unlawful taking - automobile, first degree criminal mischief, convicted felon in possession of a handgun, and first degree fleeing or evading police.

On October 18, 2017, in Christian Circuit Court, Poindexter was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Poindexter made his initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Kentucky on April 15, 2024. The Court ordered the defendant detained pending trial. If convicted, Poindexter faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is being investigated by the ATF Bowling Green Post of Duty and the Hopkinsville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the U.S. Attorney's Paducah Branch Office, is prosecuting this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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