A federal jury in Las Cruces, New Mexico, has found Michael Dalton, 34, of Roswell, New Mexico, guilty of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition. Dalton, who has seven prior felony convictions, was being prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative targeting repeat offenders.
The jury returned a guilty verdict after a three-day trial, finding Dalton guilty on both counts of the superseding indictment. The evidence presented at trial established that on August 28, 2015, officers of the Roswell Police Department responded to Dalton’s residence after receiving a call from his neighbor, who reported hearing Dalton threaten to shoot his girlfriend and attempting to run her over with his car.
The neighbor also reported hearing gunshots coming from Dalton’s residence, prompting a SWAT team to be dispatched to coax Dalton out of the residence. After an hour-long standoff, Dalton surrendered and was identified as a convicted felon, leading officers to obtain a search warrant for his residence. While executing the search warrant, officers seized two rifles, a handgun, and approximately 240 rounds of ammunition from Dalton’s residence.
The evidence at trial also established that Dalton was a methamphetamine addict, in addition to being a convicted felon. The jury deliberated approximately two hours before returning a guilty verdict.
Dalton has been in federal custody since his arrest in June 2016 and will remain detained pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Dalton faces a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison on each of the two offenses.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Roswell Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander B. Shapiro and Marisa A. Ong are prosecuting the case.
Mandatory Facts:
- Defendant: Michael Dalton
- Criminal Charges: Unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition
- City and State: Roswell, New Mexico
- Date: August 28, 2015
- Sentence: Guilty verdict; faces up to 20 years in prison
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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