FCI Beckley Inmate Sentenced to Over a Year in Prison for Illegal Weapon Possession
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 17, 2012 |
BECKLEY, WV—U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin today announced that an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Beckley was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for illegally possessing a weapon. On March 8, 2012, federal inmate Damon Ripley, 43, was found to be in possession of a homemade knife, commonly called a “shank.” Ripley admitted that the weapon contained a sharpened piece of metal. Ripley further admitted that he tore a pillowcase and wrapped it around the opposite end of the sharpened metal to form a handle. The inmate further admitted that the shank was designed and intended to be used as a weapon.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney John File. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Irene C. Berger.