Dalton Gardens Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Firearm

COEUR D’ALENE—Cody James Freer, 26, of Dalton Gardens, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Freer to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. He pleaded guilty to the charge on October 17, 2012.

According to court statements, in June 2012, an individual contacted Coeur d’Alene Police to verify the Glock handgun he was planning to purchase from a private seller was not stolen. Police advised the caller the gun was stolen and determined that the seller—Freer—was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction. The individual arranged to meet Freer at a Coeur d’Alene parking lot to complete the transaction. Police arrested Freer at the parking lot after determining that he possessed the Glock handgun. Freer has been in custody since his arrest in June 2012.

The case was investigated by the Coeur d’Alene Police Department with the assistance of the North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force (NIVCTF). The NIVCTF members include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Idaho State Police, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police Department. The NIVCTF investigates a myriad of violent crimes, including armed robbery, kidnapping, felonious assault, and drug trafficking.

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