CHEROKEE COUNTY, Texas — A Cherokee County man has been sentenced to prison for a federal firearms violation, announced Acting United States Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 53-year-old Larry Van Butcher, a.k.a. “Red,” of Rusk, pleaded guilty on Oct. 29, 2020, to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in federal prison.
According to information presented in court, on Nov. 5, 2019, Butcher was questioned regarding illegal drug and firearms activities occurring at his residence. After confessing to using methamphetamine and marijuana as well as possessing numerous firearms, Butcher admitted that he had been previously convicted in Cherokee County for the misdemeanor offense of assault family violence, which is a crime of domestic violence resulting in a federal prohibition on possessing firearms.
Butcher stated he knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms and could not purchase firearms for himself. Law enforcement seized 20 firearms from his residence, including two that had been reported stolen.
Butcher was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 18, 2020, and charged with federal firearms violations.
