GREAT FALLS — A Whitehall man, a convicted felon who was on state supervision, was sentenced today to 20 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing three firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said in a press release on Wednesday, Mar. 9, 2022.
Shane William Driscoll, 36, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
In court documents in the case, the government alleged that in March 2021, Driscoll, a convicted felon on state supervision, possessed a semi-automatic 9mm pistol, a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol, ammunition, a bag with marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his truck during a traffic stop in Whitehall. Driscoll also possessed a .243-caliber rifle with ammunition, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in a subsequent search of his trailer. All evidence was found during probation searches. In 2019, Driscoll was sentenced in state District Court for a felony drug conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Probation and Parole.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
