PADUCAH, Ky. (WKRN) — A Christian County man will spend more than five years in a federal prison for distributing more than 50 grams of a methamphetamine mixture, as well as possessing more than a dozen firearms following a previous felony conviction.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky; Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow with the Louisville field division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Christian County Sheriff Tyler DeArmond.
According to court documents, 39-year-old Buddy Chambless of Hopkinsville, possessed more than 50 grams of a meth mixture, with the intent to distribute it, in March 2022.
At the time of the arrest, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said agents found approximately 2,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as the following 13 firearms, inside a storage unit controlled by Chambless:
- A Diamondback Firearms LLC, model DB9, 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol
- A Taurus, model 85, .38 special caliber revolver
- A Harrington and Richardson, model 930, .22 caliber revolver
- A Sun City Machinery Co., model 320, 12-gauge slide action shotgun
- A Mossberg, model 500 Turkey, 12-gauge slide action shotgun
- A Winchester, model 120 Ranger, 20-gauge slide action shotgun
- A Mossberg, model 500E, .410-gauge slide action shotgun
- A Taurus, model Circuit Judge, 45 long colt/.410-gauge rifle
- A New England Firearms, model Pardner, 20-gauge single shot break action shotgun
- A Henry Repeating Rifle Company, model Golden Boy, .22 caliber lever action rifle
- A Savage Arms, model Mark II, .22 caliber bolt action rifle
- A Mosin-Nagant, model M91/30, 7.62x54R caliber bolt action rifle
- A Mosin-Nagant, model P-26, 7.62x54R caliber bolt action rifle
According to officials, Chambless was not allowed to possess a firearm because he was convicted in Christian Circuit Court of first-degree trafficking of a controlled substance (more than two grams of methamphetamine) while armed and first-degree possession of a controlled substance while armed back in August 2018.
On Tuesday, April 25, officials said Chambless was sentenced to five years and six months in federal prison, followed by four years under supervised release since there is no parole in the federal system.
“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,” the DOJ said in a statement on Wednesday, April 26. “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.”
The case was reportedly investigated by the ATF Bowling Green field office and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office. It was then prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah branch office.
