A convicted felon on parole was sentenced to six years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to being in possession of a firearm last year.
Austin Bryce Gibson, 20, who was previously convicted on felony burglary and theft charges Aug. 7, 2015, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to possession of a firearm by certain persons and was sentenced to six years to run concurrently with the revocation of his parole from the prior conviction.
According to the affidavit, on Dec. 29, 2015, Gibson was under active parole supervision and three of his parole officers conducted a home visit at his residence on Blakehill Loop after receiving information he had a firearm in his possession.
Gibson's brother answered the door and allowed the officers to enter the residence and they told the brother and a 14-year-old sister to sit on the sofa while they conducted a search. They made contact with Gibson in his bedroom and immediately noticed a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition on the floor.
Gibson told them he only had the shotgun because he was going to "paint it" for a friend and that he got it about two weeks earlier. Garland County sheriff's investigators came and confiscated the gun and Gibson was taken into custody.
He was later released on $2,500 bond, but his bond was revoked and he was arrested again after his original parole was revoked. He will be credit for time served since his last arrest.
According to the affidavit for Gibson's original arrest, on Nov. 27, 2014, around 6:30 a.m., GCSD Deputy Matthew Wharton was dispatched to a residence on Airport Road and made contact with a woman who stated that her green 2008 Ford Focus, valued at $10,000, had been stolen from the residence along with a cellphone from inside the house.
She noted her car keys had been inside the house and the downstairs entry door had been left unlocked.
Shortly before 4 p.m. that same day, Wharton spotted the stolen Ford Focus and stopped it off Walley Lane. The driver, identified as Gibson, was patted down and had a 9 mm handgun in the waistband of his pants.
Gibson stated his brother had bought the car on wholesale from an unknown person and let him drive it. A check of the vehicle identification number confirmed it was the one reported stolen earlier.
During a search of the vehicle, a red bag was found containing a smoking pipe, rolling papers and a plastic bag with marijuana seeds in the center console.
The owner of the car and her daughter responded to the scene and identified many of the items in the vehicle as being removed from their residence and another vehicle at the residence belonging to the victim's husband.
Local on 07/27/2016