A Thompson Falls resident, James Vernon Day, Jr., 56, has been sentenced to five years and ten months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for firearms offenses. The sentence was handed down after Day admitted to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possessing an unregistered firearm. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy also imposed a $20,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich stated that Day's prior convictions include federal felonies from 2004 for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and illegal sale of outfitted mountain lion hunts in 2018. Additionally, he has state felony convictions in Montana and Idaho.
In December 2023, deputies from the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Day's property related to stolen vehicle parts. During the search, deputies found numerous firearms including a .44-caliber rifle and various gun parts in a shop building on the property. A total of 36 firearms were discovered inside his residence, one being a .222-caliber rifle with an illegally shortened barrel found on the kitchen floor.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with local sheriff's offices from Sanders County and Lincoln County. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities.
For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit Justice.gov/PSN.