Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

BANGOR, Maine — A Millinocket man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court records, in November 2020, the Maine Warden Service (MWS) received a complaint about shots being fired at a residence in Exeter. A warden observed bullets lodged in the walls of the residence, and the homeowners reported hearing gunshots from across the pond and seeing two individuals wearing hunter’s orange. MWS located Scott Lynch Jr., 23, and a 14-year-old minor in a parked truck. Lynch admitted to the warden that he had been target shooting in the woods. He also told the warden that he was a convicted felon. MWS located .22 caliber and .308 caliber casings in the woods where Lynch stated they had been shooting.

While at the minor’s house to retrieve the .22 rifle, the warden overheard the minor tell his mother that there was another rifle hidden in the house, which was then retrieved by the mother. Lynch had the key to the gun case on a key ring on his belt. Two guns were retrieved from the case, a .308 caliber rifle and a 9mm pistol, with obliterated serial numbers. Further investigation showed both the guns and the case had been stolen from a vehicle in Millinocket, and Lynch told investigators that he had traded a dirt bike for the firearms.

Lynch faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Maine Warden Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

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