Lynchburg man faces federal gun charges after series of criminal incidents
Lynchburg, Virginia – A Lynchburg man has been taken into custody facing charges related to firearm possession. 27-year-old Brandon Cole Webber was arrested last week on a federal criminal complaint. He has been charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
The arrest stems from an incident on May 5, 2022. According to court documents, law enforcement officers were alerted by a concerned citizen who witnessed a man, later identified as Webber, falling out of a moving vehicle and subsequently firing a gun at it. The alarming event occurred on Fifth Street in Lynchburg, and Webber was seen running toward a local Family Dollar store. Eyewitnesses further observed Webber trying to hitch a ride from passersby just as police arrived at the scene. Officers discovered a loaded 9mm handgun and a bag containing suspected methamphetamine in the vehicle where Webber had been seated, along with a wallet that didn’t belong to him.
The trail of Webber’s misdemeanors doesn’t end there. On November 29, 2023, the Lynchburg Fire Department was called to the Lynchburg Grand Hotel for an overdose case. They found Webber unresponsive on a bathroom floor surrounded by drug paraphernalia. Upon the arrival of the police, Webber fled the scene but was later apprehended outside the hotel. A subsequent search of his hotel room uncovered more methamphetamine and a loaded Glock 38 handgun.
The next day, Webber faced multiple charges under state firearm statutes. However, after receiving medical treatment, he managed to elude law enforcement, likely with assistance. Investigations suggest that Webber was aided by a romantic partner known as Subject-1, who was a former officer at the City of Lynchburg Community Corrections and Pretrial Services Agency. It is alleged that from August 2023, Subject-1 helped Webber by providing him with sensitive, non-public information. In December alone, Subject-1’s credentials were used multiple times to access information about a search warrant related to Webber’s overdose incident at the hotel.
The case, which involves multiple state and federal violations, is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lynchburg Police Department. U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and FBI Special Agent Stanley M. Meador made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vito Iaia is leading the prosecution.
