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PROVO — An Ogden man not allowed to possess a firearm is facing criminal charges after a gun was allegedly found in his bag while going through TSA screening at the Provo Airport.
Jeffery Shupe Powell, 62, was charged Wednesday in 4th District Court with being a category one restricted person in possession of a firearm, a second-degree felony; and possession of a firearm in a secure area of the airport, an infraction.
On July 3, while going through security at Provo Municipal Airport, "(Powell's) carry-on bag was X-rayed and officers saw a gun," according to charging documents. "The officer searched (Powell's) bag and found a small .22 caliber Beretta pistol in a leather holster. The pistol was not loaded and there was no ammunition found anywhere in the bag. The pistol was packed in a compartment of the bag that was completely separate from where (Powell) had packed the rest of his items."
Powell told the officer that he typically does not travel with that bag and forgot the gun was there, the charges state.
Prosecutors note, however, that Powell was convicted of automobile homicide, a third-degree felony, in 1991. He has also been charged in connection with several accidents in recent years and convicted of DUI and causing an accident resulting in property damage, according to court records. He was also convicted in 2014 in two cases of forging a prescription and sentenced to up to five years in the Utah State Prison, and served another prison sentence after being convicted of falsely obtaining a prescription in 2011, court records state.
Because of his criminal record, Powell is not allowed to possess a firearm, according to prosecutors.
