A Bowdoinham resident has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland to possessing firearms after a previous felony conviction.
Court documents state that in September 2024, Brunswick police responded to a report of possible shoplifting at a Walmart. Officers found Rodney Skipper, 46, outside the store near his vehicle. Police observed an empty pistol holster on Skipper’s hip and were informed he had been seen with a firearm before officers arrived. A search of his vehicle led to the discovery of three pistols: a 9mm, a .40 caliber, and a 10mm. Skipper was legally barred from having firearms due to an earlier felony conviction for assaultive conduct.
Skipper could face up to 15 years in prison, a fine as high as $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following any incarceration. Sentencing will occur after the U.S. Probation Office completes its presentence investigative report. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with help from the Brunswick Police Department.
"This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results," according to information provided about Project Safe Neighborhoods. More details about PSN can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.
