Rodney Paul Gonzales, Felon in Possession of Firearm, Colorado 2019

A Colorado Springs man has been sentenced to 96 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years on supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Rodney Paul Gonzales, 53, was initially charged by criminal complaint and was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury on September 11, 2018.

According to the stipulated facts contained in Gonzales’s plea agreement as well as facts presented at sentencing, Colorado Springs Police Department officers encountered the defendant in an apartment complex parking lot after receiving a 911 call from a concerned citizen.

When officers arrived, they found the defendant, who was heavily intoxicated, passed out in a vehicle with the driver’s side door open. The defendant was spread out from the driver’s seat, over the top of the center console, onto the passenger’s seat.

Officers could see a handgun lying immediately next to him on the passenger’s seat. The firearm, which had an obliterated serial number, was loaded with four rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber.

The defendant’s prior felony convictions include serious crimes, such as attempted second-degree burglary, second-degree assault, violent crime with the use of a weapon, and felony menacing with a weapon.

“Mr. Gonzales had eleven chances to change his ways and should have never been anywhere near a loaded gun,” said United States Attorney Jason Dunn.

This case was investigated by the ATF with substantial assistance from the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-co/pr/colorado-springs-man-sentenced-eight-years-federal-prison-being-felon-possession-firearm