FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
SCOTT JOHN DELONGCHAMP PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula on October 29, 2007, before Chief U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, SCOTT JOHN DELONGCHAMP, a 49-year-old resident of Missoula, pled guilty to being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Sentencing is set for February 15, 2008. He is currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On May 2, 1997, DELONGCHAMP was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the United States District Court for the District of Montana in Missoula.
On April 19, 2006, deputies from the Missoula County Sheriff's Office and officers from Montana Probation and Parole shared information regarding DELONGCHAMP, who had two outstanding arrest warrants. A probation officer spoke to an associate of DELONGCHAMP who advised that she knew where DELONGCHAMP was currently staying and where he could be found. She also advised that she had been with DELONGCHAMP earlier that day and that they had been drinking. She further advised that DELONGCHAMP lived in a small camper, was armed with a handgun which he took with him everywhere, and that he had been "shooting-up" earlier that day. She stated that the small camper was located near Clinton.
Based on the information received, officers went to DELONGCHAMP'S camper in Clinton to serve the arrest warrants. When officers opened the door to his camper, they located seated on a bench DELONGCHAMP injecting drugs into his arm. An officer commanded DELONGCHAMP to put his hands in the air and to stand up. The officer then entered the camper and found a small handgun on the bench where DELONGCHAMP had been sitting. The handgun was a loaded Helwan 9mm semi-auto pistol.
On April 25, 2006, DELONGCHAMP was interviewed. He admitted that the firearm located under his leg at the time of his arrest was possessed and owned by him. He also admitted that he was injecting heroin into his arm at the time of his arrest. He further admitted to being a heroin addict.
DELONGCHAMP faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette L. Stewart prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Missoula County Sheriff's Office, the Montana Probation and Parole, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.
