Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Columbia, Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally possessing a firearm.

Channing Tyler Williams, 20, of Columbia, was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City, Mo., on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013.

The federal indictment alleges that Williams was in possession of a Ruger .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol on Nov. 21, 2013. Williams, who has a prior felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Williams was also charged with being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm, and with possessing a stolen firearm.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony P. Gonzalez. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.