PRINCETON, WV (WVNS) — Public Affairs Officer Lawrence Messina reported a Princeton man pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Kaleb Merritt, 27, of Princeton, pleaded guilty on Monday, November 13, 2023 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 27, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Merritt on a Virginia state warrant at the Princeton business he worked at.

When officers arrested Merritt, he told officers he had a gun in his possession and after searching his pants found a Glock 43. Federal law prohibits a felon from possessing a gun and Merritt knew he was unable to own a gun due to a prior felony conviction of first-degree arson by the Mercer County Circuit Court on June 12, 2015.

Merritt is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.