
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, May 30, 1993                   TAG: 9305300125
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS                                LENGTH: Short

N.Y. MEN CHARGED WITH GUNRUNNING

A federal grand jury has indicted two New York men on firearms charges after they allegedly boarded an Amtrak train in Newport News with 60 handguns stuffed in two athletic bags.

The case is one of the Hampton Roads area's biggest gunrunning indictments in recent years, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Bradenham.

Chester B. Davis III, 27, faces 20 years in prison and a $750,000 fine if convicted, the indictment says. Caleb G. Brown, 24, faces 15 years and a $500,000 fine if convicted, according to Thursday's indictment in U.S. District Court in Newport News.

The men ordered the handguns from a local gun shop on May 11 and boarded the train to return to New York two days later, the indictment says.

Law enforcement authorities have called Virginia a prime location for gunrunners because of its lax laws. A state law limiting purchasers to one gun a month goes into effect July 1.

- Associated Press

by CNB