On Wednesday, December 18, Edward Leon Sowards, 35, of Hurricane, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

According to documents and statements made in federal court in Huntington, Sowards admitted that he purchased a Taurus model Public Defender Judge Poly .45-caliber/.410-gauge revolver from an individual in June of 2023. Sowards further admitted that he knew the individual had stolen the firearm. Sowards was later confronted about the stolen firearm being in his possession. On June 21, 2023, Sowards met with the individual in a Hurricane parking lot and returned the firearm. Sowards admitted that he knew the serial number had been removed from the firearm at the time he returned it to the individual.

Federal law prohibits a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Sowards was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a prior conviction for domestic battery in Putnam County Magistrate Court on April 20, 2012.

Sowards is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing.