Man Pleads Guilty to Being Felon in Possession of Firearm, Meth After Hiding Gun From Police in Norfolk Convenience Store

NORFOLK, Va. – Christopher Kevin Sheppard, 37, pleaded guilty on Thursday to being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing methamphetamine, and possessing a firearm with a Schedule II drug after hiding a gun in a convenience store last year.

On the afternoon of Oct. 29, Norfolk Police officers responded to a report of a man with a weapon at the Quick Serve Food Store on Sellger Drive. When officers arrived, they encountered Mr. Sheppard and a witness who said they saw Mr. Sheppard with a gun. Security footage from before their arrival captured Mr. Sheppard hiding the firearm in one of the aisles. Officers recovered the loaded weapon, detained Mr. Sheppard, and found that Mr. Sheppard is a previously convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing a weapon. When officers searched Mr. Sheppard after placing him under arrest, a plastic bag containing what was later tested and confirmed to be more than a gram of methamphetamine fell out of his pocket.

Mr. Sheppard pleaded guilty on Thursday to his three felony charges, and Judge Everett A. Martin Jr. accepted his plea with no agreement to his sentence. Mr. Sheppard’s sentencing is docketed for June 7.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney David A. Johnson prosecuted Mr. Sheppard’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Robert E. Broadbent led the investigation.

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