Orofino Man Admits Illegal Gun Possession

COEUR D'ALENE - Stephen C. Walker, 23, of Orofino, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Walker was indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d'Alene on June 16, 2015.

According to the plea agreement, Walker admitted that on October 29, 2014, he had a .22 caliber firearm in his back pocket.  The defendant was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous felony conviction for burglary.  The defendant was contacted by police around midnight, in an area that had been subjected to burglaries the night before. 

The charge of unlawful possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for May 10, 2016, before Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.

The case was investigated by the Orofino City Police Department, the Nez Perce Tribal Police, FBI and ATF.

The case was prosecuted as part of Idaho’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which seeks to reduce gun violence in Idaho.