Yuba City Parolee Convicted of Unlawfully Possessing Handgun

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that after a four-day trial before Senior United States District Judge Edward J. Garcia, a federal jury found Sue Vue, 28, of Yuba City, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. His prior offenses included second degree burglary in Sutter County and assault with a deadly weapon in Yuba County.

This case is the product of a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel S. McConkie and Todd Leras prosecuted the case.

According to testimony presented at trial, a Sutter County Sheriff's deputy was patrolling the area of the Sutter Cemetery on March 14, 2009. He saw a traffic accident and stopped one of the involved vehicles to investigate. Vue was in that vehicle and refused to show the deputy his hands, ultimately fleeing on foot. The deputy gave chase through the cemetery, caught Vue, and tried to take him into custody.

Vue resisted arrest and removed a loaded Ruger semi-automatic handgun from his waistband. The deputy was able to jar the gun from his hand. The struggle continued for a few minutes until other emergency personnel helped the deputy. Vue also possessed a knife, a hatchet, and an additional loaded magazine matching the handgun. The handgun had been reported stolen years before and had been involved in shootings.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garcia on September 17, 2010, at
10:00 a.m. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.