Former Gastonia police officer indicted on charges claiming she made false statement during firearm purchase
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Western North Carolina, a federal indictment was unsealed Friday in federal court charging Xana Dove with straw purchasing a firearm. Dove, 28, of Charlotte, was arrested on Thursday, and was released on bond following her initial court appearance.
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According to allegations in the indictment, on May 25, 2023, Dove knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement to Shooters Express, a licensed firearms dealer in Belmont, in connection with the acquisition of a Springfield Hellcat Pro, 9mm pistol. The indictment alleges that Dove falsely stated on a federal form that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm when the defendant knew this statement was false and fictitious.
Dove is charged with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and causing a false report during a firearm purchase.
If convicted, Dove faces a combined maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
In December 2023, Love was charged with 32 felonies, including 15 counts of accessing a government computer and four counts of felony conspiracy. This includes allegations of telling a man how to lie on a polygraph test. She pled guilty to two of the charges, and was sentenced to 11 months in prison.
She was suspended from the department the previous September after she posted bond for allegedly filing a false police report, and was terminated in November.
The new charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
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