A pair of men are facing felony charges after allegedly lying on the federal background check, required to buy a gun.
The Union County Grand Jury has indicted Ryan Jay Miller, 27, of 14 Aspen Dr., Marysville, and Daniel R. Johns, 54, of 106 W. Patterson Ave., Bellefontaine. Miller and Johns are each charged with one count of falsification to purchase a firearm stemming from separate incidents.
Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips said there is a process for purchasing a gun.
“When you purchase a gun, you have to go through a background check,” Phillips said.
Under federal law, background checks must come back in three business days. If the federal system fails to process a background check within those three business days, the sale can still legally go through.
The federal background check form asks a host of questions, including whether the buyer has been convicted of certain crimes, including domestic violence, has a restraining order against them or has a history of drug addiction or mental illness.
He explained that law makers have recognized that individuals with certain backgrounds or convictions in their past – domestic violence, drug offenses and felony crimes of violence – should not have access to guns. He called it, “a public safety issue.”
“Those individuals have demonstrated a propensity for criminal activity,” Phillips said. “The law prohibits them from possession of guns. If they apply to purchase a firearm, and are denied, it is an attempt to circumvent the law. When they lie on their application, they are trying to obtain a gun which they are not legally permitted to possess.”
According to court documents, Miller, in December of 2018, and Johns, between April and May, each tried to purchase a gun at a local pawn shop. Both have prior domestic violence charges, though both allegedly checked that they did not.
When the dealer ran the background check, a data base alerted federal officials that while the applicants had said they didn’t, the men did have the convictions. The dealer was told the applications had been flagged and denied, but not told why.
“When someone makes a false statement on an application, in an attempt to purchase a firearm, these are reported to local law enforcement,” Phillips said. “When local law enforcement is contacted, investigators get the application and can do an investigation.”
If convicted, Miller and Johns could each face as many as 12 months in prison.
Also indicted were:
-Dustin Thomas Krouse, 34, of 239 Blaine Ave., Marion. Krouse is charged with one count each of theft and receiving stolen property. According to court documents, between Sept. 18 and Oct. 10, Krouse allegedly stole $1,475 worth of miscellaneous tools and home goods from a local hardware store.
If convicted, Krouse could face as many as 24 months in prison.
-Sean M. Campbell, also known as Sean Michael Plotts, 27, of 3389 Trail Lane Court, Columbus. Campbell is charged with one count of possession of cocaine, stemming from an Aug. 2 traffic stop. If convicted, Campbell could face as many as 12 months in prison.