FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 02, 2007
DOUGLAS BARRY DUTTON SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on November 2, 2007, before Chief U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, DOUGLAS BARRY DUTTON, a 45-year-old resident of Troy, appeared for sentencing. DUTTON was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 56 months
- Special Assessment: $ 100
- Supervised Release: 3 years
DUTTON was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to being a felon-in-possession of firearms.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On August 8, 2005, DUTTON received a suspended sentence following a felony conviction for criminal production or manufacture of dangerous drugs in the Montana Nineteenth Judicial District Court in Lincoln County.
On November 8, 2005, representatives of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office participated in a probation search of DUTTON'S residence in Troy. The officers seized three firearms during the search.
On October 31, 2006, the ATF National Tracing Center produced a Firearms Trace Summary concerning a .22-caliber revolver that had been seized during the search. The Trace Summary reflected that DUTTON had purchased the revolver on August 25, 1985, in Lolo.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that DUTTON will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, DUTTON does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Montana Probation and Parole, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
