Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Two men from Northwest Ohio were indicted on firearms charges, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman.

Indicted are: Shaquile R. Bulls, 23, of Lima and Dylon E. Ridgeway, 25, of Sandusky. Their cases are unrelated.

Bulls is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Bulls, on Nov. 24, 2017, had a Glock .40-caliber pistol despite a previous conviction for robbery, according to the indictment.

Ridgeway is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Ridgeway, on Nov. 16, 2017, possessed a Springfield Armory 9 mm pistol despite prior convictions for heroin trafficking, having a weapon under disability and felonious assault, according to the indicment

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, 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.

These cases were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Lima Police Department (Bulls) and the Sandusky Police Department (Ridgway) They are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas P. Weldon and Guillermo J. Rojas.         

This case is being prosecuted as part of "Project Safe Neighborhoods," a gun violence reduction program administered by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio.  The program targets armed criminals for federal prosecution.     

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The burden of proof is always on the government to prove a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.       

###