Former Officer Charged With 32 Felonies Pleads Guilty in Firearm Straw-Purchase Case

March 15, 2026

Former Gastonia Police Officer Xana Dajanae Dove Sentenced To Federal Prison After Firearm Straw-Purchase Case

Former Gastonia Police Officer Xana Dajanae Dove became the subject of multiple criminal investigations after authorities accused her of abusing access to law-enforcement resources, helping suspects, and later lying during the purchase of a firearm.

The case first became public in September 2023, when the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department announced that Dove had been arrested at the Gastonia Police Department by CMPD’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team. CMPD said Dove was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice, conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses, and filing a false police report.

Then, in December 2023, the Gastonia Police Department announced that Dove had been arrested again and charged with 32 felonies. The charges listed by the department included 15 counts of accessing a government computer, obstruction of justice, conspiracy-related drug offenses, felony conspiracy, conspiring to purchase a stolen motor vehicle, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, and multiple opioid-trafficking counts.

Gastonia police said the charges came from a joint investigation involving the Gastonia Police Department and CMPD. The department also stated that Dove had been separated from employment with the City of Gastonia effective November 15, 2023.

According to WSOC-TV’s reporting, prosecutors accused Dove of using police equipment to run warrant checks and license-plate searches for other people. The report also said authorities alleged Dove provided law-enforcement information to third parties and that her conduct raised concerns about cases she had worked as an officer.

In November 2024, WSOC-TV reported that Dove pleaded guilty in Gaston County court to 11 counts of accessing a government computer and one count of obstruction of justice. The station reported that drug charges were dropped, while prosecutors said the evidence was enough to keep her from working as a law-enforcement officer again.

The federal case followed later. In May 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced that Dove had been charged with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and causing a false report during a firearm purchase. Federal prosecutors said Dove falsely claimed on ATF Form 4473 that she was the actual buyer of a Springfield Hellcat Pro 9mm pistol purchased from Shooters Express in Belmont, North Carolina.

On March 10, 2026, federal prosecutors announced that Dove, identified in the federal release as Xana Dayanae Dove, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. The court also ordered forfeiture of the Springfield Hellcat Pro 9mm pistol.

The case stands out because Dove was not a long-serving veteran officer accused of one isolated lapse. She was a relatively new officer whose short law-enforcement career ended in criminal charges, guilty pleas, and a federal prison sentence. The allegations and convictions centered on the exact kind of public trust police officers are supposed to protect: lawful access to government databases, truthful reporting, and responsible use of the authority that comes with a badge.

For a department, that kind of misconduct does not end when the officer is fired. It can affect prosecutions, informant safety, public confidence, and the credibility of cases touched by the officer. For the public, the Dove case is another reminder that police accountability is not only about excessive force or on-duty violence. Misuse of databases, obstruction, false reports, and firearm-related crimes can also undermine the justice system from the inside.

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