(WNY News Now) – A Chautauqua County jury found Nathaniel Hollins, 34, of Dunkirk, guilty on June 10, 2025, in connection with illegal handgun possession stemming from a 2023 arrest.
Nathaniel Hollins, age 34, of Dunkirk, was found guilty by a Chautauqua County jury after a two week jury trial presided over by Honorable David W. Foley. The guilty verdict was the result of collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Dunkirk Police Department, New York State Police Forensic Laboratory, and Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office.
On November 8th, 2023, the Dunkirk Police Department acted upon a tip provided to them by their federal partners, and apprehended Nathaniel Hollins in the vicinity of Webster Street in the City of Dunkirk. An FBI Agent working in conjunction with Dunkirk Police Officers found a loaded handgun near the place Hollins was apprehended. DNA analysis was performed by the New York State Police Crime Laboratory in Albany, and was crucial to establish that Hollins possessed the loaded handgun on November 8th, 2023.
The case was prosecuted by lead attorney Second Assistant District Attorney Erik Bentley. Bentley expresses his gratitude to his trial team, Second Chair Assistant District Attorney Andrew Hall, and paralegal Abigail Zatorski. This verdict was the result of tireless effort by all law enforcement agencies involved.
Nathaniel Hollins is scheduled for sentencing before Honorable David W. Foley on August 11th, 2025. He potentially faces sentencing as a persistent felon due to his prior felony convictions and up to twenty-five years to life as an indeterminate range in state prison.
Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt would like to thank all the agencies involved in the prosecution. District Attorney Schmidt said “The successful outcome here could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of Dunkirk Police who acted immediately and with focused purpose and determination to protect their community from yet another illegal handgun on our City streets, this time carried by a convicted felon who had no legal right and absolutely no legitimate purpose for arming himself. Every single day our police are out there patrolling our streets, doing everything they can within their powers under the law to keep us safe. It is not just there fight. It’s all of ours. I would also like to acknowledge FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Homza who not only played a key role here, but who has contributed his time and resources to many of our local investigations and has forged an excellent working relationship with all of Chautauqua County law enforcement.”
Dunkirk Police Chief Christopher Witkowski said “I want to thank our patrol officers, detectives, crime scene investigators, range officers, and the FBI for their outstanding work on this case. I also want to thank the District Attorney’s Office for their diligent efforts in securing this guilty verdict. Our officers take great pride in their work, and their professionalism was clearly reflected in the outcome of this case. This verdict is a testament to the strong collaboration between the Dunkirk Police Department, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the District Attorney’s Office, and the shared commitment to keeping our community safe.”
Leave a Reply