A Hot Springs man arrested in 2018 after he was found with a stolen gun and almost half a pound of meth following a traffic stop was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Thursday after a hearing in U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
Terry Gibbons, 43, was sentenced to 120 months followed by four years of supervised release after having pleaded guilty in October 2019 to one count of possession with intent to distribute meth and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to a release from David Clay Fowlkes, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.
According to the original arrest report, on Nov. 10, 2018, around 2 a.m., Hot Springs police Officer 1st Class Richard Nunez saw a white 2007 GMC Yukon with temporary tags eastbound on Albert Pike Road near Mountain View Street and clocked it going 42 mph in a 30 mph zone, so he stopped it at Albert Pike and Main Street.
He made contact with the driver, identified as Gibbons, who had the driver's door open but remained seated. Gibbons said he could not roll the window down because it had fresh tint. While talking to Gibbons, Nunez observed a small black handgun in plain sight inside the driver's door pocket.
Gibbons agreed to let Nunez take the gun, a .380 Ruger LCP with one round in the magazine, which was discovered to have been reported stolen in Garland County. Gibbons was taken into custody at that point for the stolen firearm as well as citations for speeding and no liability insurance.
During a search of Gibbons, Nunez reportedly located five bags containing what later tested positive for meth in the pockets of his jacket. In searching the vehicle, he found a black bag in the passenger seat containing a digital scale with residue, five syringes and multiple small baggies.
The suspected meth was submitted to the Arkansas State Crime lab for testing and tested positive with a total weight of 219.4 grams, almost half a pound.
Gibbons was indicted by a federal grand jury in June of 2019 and entered a guilty plea in October of 2019.
Local on 06/05/2020