FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 02, 2007
JESSEY LEE CHARLES DECELLES 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, JESSEY LEE CHARLES DECELLES, a 19-year-old resident of Lincoln and Great Falls, appeared for sentencing. DECELLES was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 18 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 3 years
DECELLES was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to possession of stolen firearms.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On November 3, 2005, the owner of a cabin located near Lincoln filed a report with the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office that firearms had been stolen from his cabin sometime between October 27, 2005, and November 3, 2005.
On November 5, 2005, deputies from the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office began an investigation into a shooting in Lincoln. During the course of the investigation deputies learned that DECELLES and two other individuals were in possession of two of the stolen firearms.
When questioned, DECELLES and the other two individuals admitted to burglarizing the cabin. Initially, all the property, including a rifle and shotgun, were stored in one of the individual's apartment. Ultimately, DECELLES took and kept the rifle; and, the other individual took and kept the shotgun. The rifle was recovered from the first individual's apartment during the shooting investigation, however the shotgun was never recovered.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that DECELLES will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, DECELLES 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 Paulette S. Stewart prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
