Repeat convicted felon pleads guilty in Bend to gun possession, sentenced to five years in prison
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A repeat convicted felon was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday, just two weeks after Deschutes County sheriff's deputy found a handgun in the car he was riding in, District Attorney Steve Gunnels said.
Deschutes County Circuit Judge Alison Emerson sentence Lawrence Mark Stroud, 45, after he pleaded guilty to one count of felony in possession of a firearm.
"The 60-month figure is a statutory maximum sentence under Oregon law, based on the severity of the charges," Gunnels said in a news release.
On Tuesday, October 13, Stroud was contacted by law enforcement during a traffic stop in connection with an open theft investigation.
During a search of the car in which he was a passenger, deputies found a 17-round semiautomatic handgun inside a backpack, which Stroud admitted to possessing, the DA said.
Gunnels noted that Stroud has numerous prior convictions, including felony charges of assault, sexual abuse and unlawful use of a weapon.
Stroud pleaded guilty Wednesday Stroud pleaded guilty to a single count of felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced the same day.
The case was prosecuted by Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Andrew Doyle, who is also cross-designated as a special assistant U.S. attorney.
“This case serves as yet another example of the value of our office’s strategic partnership with
the United States Attorney’s Office," Doyle said. "This is the second recent statutory maximum sentence achieved by the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office on a violent offender – and it was, once again, the result of cross-negotiation with potential federal charges.”
Doyle told KTVZ News, "The threat of federal prosecution was very important to this resolution."
Gunnels said the DA's office would like to thank the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for its thorough investigation, as well as the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE), Bend Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
