Duluth Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a Firearm

MINNEAPOLIS – A Duluth man pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, Jesse William Peterson, 40, admitted to possessing a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver with an obliterated serial number. On October 25, 2020, officers with the Duluth Police Department attempted to arrest Peterson at a residence on an outstanding warrant. Peterson refused to exit the residence and comply with officers’ attempts to arrest him. After a two-hour stand-off, Peterson was taken into custody. Officers found the loaded .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver in the bathroom where Peterson was located during the stand-off. A subsequent analysis revealed Peterson’s DNA on the firearm. Directly adjacent to the firearm, officers found 13.76 grams of methamphetamine, 11.13 grams of cocaine, 38 doses of LSD, $5,826 in cash, and 11 live rounds of .38-caliber ammunition. Because Peterson has prior felony convictions in St. Louis County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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 the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Duluth Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Teirab is prosecuting the case.

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