Christopher Clay Gober, 32, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene to 84 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Gober to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and 100 hours of community service. Gober pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2010.

According to the plea agreement, on April 18, 2010, a probation search was conducted on a room Gober was renting at a hotel in Coeur d'Alene. Based upon items found in the room, which included used syringes, two methamphetamine pipes, a box of .38 ammunition and other items, the probation officer decided to search the defendant's vehicle, a Dodge Charger. A lock box was found inside the car and a search warrant was obtained to search the lock box. Officers discovered a loaded .38 caliber handgun and six loose rounds of ammunition in the lock box. Gober admitted there was a .38 pistol inside the lock box. A convicted felon, Gober is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions for aggravated assault, intimidating a witness, manslaughter, and escape.

The case was investigated by the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force, which is a Federal Bureau of Investigation sponsored Safe Streets Task Force comprised of law enforcement from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, Coeur d’Alene City Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, Idaho State Police, Bonner County Sheriff's Department, Shoshone County Sheriff's Department, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. The task force also participates with the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshal Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and coordinates as needed with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Forest Service.