Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Matthew Lucas Ayotte, 34, a native of Presque Isle and more recent resident of Penobscot County, was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The imprisonment is to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Ayotte pled guilty to the charge on March 1, 2012.
According to court records, on Feb. 12, 2011, Ayotte stole a.45 caliber Hi-Point pistol and ammunition in Bangor. Bangor police officers located Ayotte that night and recovered the stolen firearm. Because Ayotte had at least three previous convictions for violent felony offenses he was subject to an enhanced sentence of up to life in prison as an Armed Career Criminal.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bangor Police Department.
