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Press Release

Canton man indicted for possession of a firearm by a person with a domestic violence conviction

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio

Justin E. Herdman, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that a federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio has returned a one-count indictment charging Matthew Paul Slatzer, 36, of Canton, Ohio, with possession of a firearm by a person with a domestic violence conviction.

According to the indictment filed in this matter, on February 2, 2020, the Canton Police Department responded to a call at a bar for an intoxicated male with a gun inside the establishment. The indictment alleges that Slatzer knowingly possessed a .38 caliber revolver. Slatzer is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior domestic violence conviction on October 20, 2010.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Canton Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Toni Beth Schnellinger Feisthamel.

Contact

Daniel Ball
(216) 622-3921
Daniel.Ball@usdoj.gov

Updated June 15, 2020

Topic
Firearms Offenses