Waldo man pleads guilty to unlawful firearm possession

A Waldo man is facing up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Jesse Newton, 29, pleaded guilty July 7 in U.S. District Court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and to violating terms of his supervised release, according to a news release from Acting U.S. Attorney Richard W. Murphy.

In July 2016, Newton was serving a term of federal supervised release related to a 2013 felony firearm conviction. U.S. probation officers and investigators employed by the Maine fire marshal’s office searched Newton’s residence, where they found a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol, 9mm casings, rifle stocks, 46 marijuana plants and a cell phone.

Investigators examined the phone and also used DNA evidence, as well as witness testimony, to determine Newton possessed the firearm and used it for target shooting.

Newton faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the unlawful firearm possession charge and an additional two years for violating terms of his supervised release. He will be sentenced after a pre-sentence investigation is completed and revocation reports by the U.S. Probation Office are submitted.

The case was investigated by U.S. Probation Office, Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Waldo County Sheriff’s Office.