A Wheeling man who threatened to kill his girlfriend and others with a semi-automatic rifle was convicted this week in federal court after a two-day jury trial.

Jordan L. Laudermilt, 28, was found guilty on Wednesday of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II.

The charge stemmed from Laudermilt's use of a Ruger .22-caliber rifle in a domestic dispute on Justice Lane in Ohio County in February 2011.

"Evidence presented at trial established that Laudermilt demanded a cash payment from his girlfriend, and when she refused to comply he threatened to shoot her, her father, and her brother," the news release stated.

Ohio County sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and arrested Laudermilt after surrounding the house and observing him yell out threats of harm for about 20 minutes.

"The deputies from Ohio County deserve tremendous praise for defusing a very volatile situation and ensuring that no one was injured or killed," Ihlenfeld said in the release. "This could have turned deadly but did not thanks to the very sound tactics that were used to approach the home and to engage and arrest the suspect."

Laudermilt was prohibited from possessing firearms of any kind due to his prior felony convictions for nighttime burglary in Ohio County in 2003 and for delivery of heroin in Brooke County in 2004.

Laudermilt, who is in custody pending sentencing, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case was prosecuted by Ihlenfeld and Assistant U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard. In addition to the sheriff's department, the case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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