Pocatello man sentenced to prison on federal gun charge

A 33-year-old Pocatello man was sentenced to 27 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced Thursday.

U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered that upon completion of his sentence, Adam W. Harper will serve an additional three years of supervised release.

A federal grand jury indicted Harper on January 23, 2019.

According to court records, on December 14, 2018, law enforcement officers stopped Harper in Pocatello going the wrong way down a one-way street. After observing drug paraphernalia in the center console, officers searched Harper’s vehicle. In it, they found a .40 caliber handgun. Harper later admitted to possessing the firearm. Two prior felony convictions prohibited Harper from possessing the firearm. One felony resulted from a previous attempt to remove a firearm from a law enforcement officer.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pocatello Police Department, and the Bannock County Sherriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.