Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Williston Man Sentenced on Two Counts of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition
BISMARCK - U. S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Jan. 12, 2015, Ronald Keith Edwards Gibbons, 28, Williston, N.D., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on two counts of possession of firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Judge Hovland sentenced Gibbons to serve seven years and six months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release on each count to be served concurrently. Gibbons was ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund.
On April 15, 2014, in Williston, North Dakota, Gibbons was stopped for a traffic violation. After an arrest for driving under suspension, a law enforcement search resulted in the discovery of a loaded .45 handgun in a tool bag in the back seat. After being charged in William County District Court, Gibbons bonded out.
On June 11, 2014, Gibbons was operating a motorcycle with an expired registration in Williston. When an officer attempted to stop him, Gibbons fled at a high rate of speed and crashed. He fled on foot, but was quickly apprehended and had a shoulder holster and loaded gun magazine on him. A witness stated she observed Gibbons crash, run and throw a gun. Officers found a loaded Ruger 9mm in the area where the witness said she saw him throw the gun.
Gibbons was prohibited from possessing either a firearm or ammunition by virtue of Washington state court felony convictions for assault in the third degree in 2004, unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree in 2005, and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or forged prescription, in 2011.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Williston Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hagler prosecuted the case.
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