A 58-year-old American who is being held in a Russian prison on charges of illegally transporting weapons has ties to Southwest Virginia. Chuck Zimmerman, a U.S. Navy veteran, was born in Roanoke and grew up in Salem and Craig County, graduating from Salem High School in 1985, according to Cardinal News. He also worked at Roanoke College as a dishwasher.
In January, Zimmerman was handed a 5-year sentence by a court in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi after a firearm was found on his yacht in June, the Krasnodar regional courts’ press service said in a statement. Russian authorities found the weapon while inspecting it upon arrival in Sochi, the statement said.
A website set up in support of Zimmerman describes him as a U.S. Navy veteran, a father of two and an electrician. His family has rejected the charges against him as a “set-up” for a future prisoner exchange…