Felon caught in possession of a firearm sentenced to 40 months

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Jay Jordan Houle pled guilty to one count of felon in possession of a firearm last Wednesday and was sentenced to 40 months in a state correctional facility. Another count of possession of a firearm was dismissed.

Houle was caught with a hunting rifle while apparently returning home from a day out deer hunting. With his criminal record, however, he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

According to Assistant County Attorney Mike Boese, the presumptive sentence for the crime is 60 months, but a dispositional departure to 40 months was allowed considering the fact that he possessed the gun not while out committing a new crime but because he was participating in a prohibited activity for him – deer hunting with a gun.

Houle was committed to the Department of Corrections immediately following the sentencing.

According to court reports, Houle was arrested on Monday, Oct. 10, around 8:30 p.m. by members of the Fond du Lac Police Department after his vehicle was pulled over for an equipment violation. He was fully dressed in hunting gear at the time of the traffic stop. Officers were aware he had past felony convictions for crimes of violence and, as such, is prohibited from being in possession of a firearm. A subsequent check of Houle’s history revealed that he has numerous felony crimes of violence convictions on his record, including fifth-degree controlled substance, third-degree assault, and terroristic threats.

When police inquired if he had a firearm in his vehicle, he stated he did – a 7mm hunting rifle with bullets. After officers located the firearm, Houle reportedly admitted he was aware he was not to be in possession of any firearms. He was then taken into custody and lodged at the Carlton County Jail.

Houle was serving three years’ probation after pleading guilty in 2010 to a third-degree felony assault charge after assaulting someone who had come to his home to collect a debt. He allegedly wielded a knife, told the victim to give him money and ultimately hit the man over the head with a shovel, court documents said. The victim received four stitches and eight staples in his head due to the assault.

Houle also pleaded guilty to one count of felony terroristic threats after he and his father, on that same day, drove a front-end loader owned by the Fond du Lac Reservation to the home of a woman with whom his father had a long-term relationship. Houle said he was waiting outside but went inside the home when he heard a commotion. He then said he saw that fighting had occurred and admitted his presence was intimidating to the victim, a man who was at the home when Houle and his father arrived.

According to the plea agreements in those cases, Houle’s sentence included a 15-month suspended commitment, 90 days in jail, three years’ probation and restitution.

Tags: carlton county, cloquet, crime