Gulfport, Miss. - Paul Alford Thibodeau, Jr., 38, a resident of Harrison County, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to 24 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a person convicted of domestic violence, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent-in-Charge Kurt Thielhorn with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Thibodeau was also ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. Thibodeau pled guilty before Judge Ozerden on Dec. 20, 2019.
On January 5, 2019, Harrison County Sheriff’s Department Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call on Borzik Road in the Saucier Community where a woman was being accosted. When deputies arrived, they observed Paul Alford Thibodeau, Jr., exiting the rear of the residence and hiding underneath the house. Thibodeau was subsequently secured by deputies, who located a Ruger, Model Mark III,.22 caliber pistol, under the house in the location where they observed Thibodeau hiding. The firearm had a 10-round magazine attached to it.
While the pistol was unloaded, a Sheriff’s Department Sergeant noticed.22 ammunition spread on the kitchen table matching the caliber of the pistol. A criminal history check revealed that Thibodeau had a prior felony conviction and deputies arrested him for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Thibodeau had a 2013 felony conviction in Kansas for aggravated failure to appear, and a 2014 misdemeanor offense for domestic battery.
Harrison County officials alerted the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). ATF agents also determined that Thibodeau had been using methamphetamine on the day that Harrison County Deputies arrested him.
U.S. Attorney Hurst commended the coordinated investigation by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
