BOISE - Harley Wayne Batchelor, 28, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today. A federal grand jury indicted Batchelor on March 12, 2019.
According to court records, in February 2019, parole agents and Nampa police officers arrested Batchelor on an outstanding parole warrant at a Nampa motel. Agents located a semi-automatic pistol underneath where Batchelor was lying on a bed. Batchelor has a violent criminal history that includes a felony conviction for aggravated battery, which prohibits him from possessing firearms.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Nampa Police Department, and Idaho Department of Correction.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice's signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department's past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
