A Palmer man with prior felony convictions has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison after being stopped by Alaska State Troopers with drugs and guns in his car last year.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis' office said that 41-year-old Corry William Dawson's prison term was handed down Wednesday by District Court Judge Tim Burgess. Dawson had entered guilty pleas to possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute it, as well as possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Dawson was stopped by troopers in a car outside a Palmer home in August 2014, leading to a search that turned up both the weapons and drug paraphernalia.
"When troopers asked Dawson to step out of his vehicle, they discovered a .40-caliber pistol inside the pocket of the driver's side door," prosecutors wrote. "Dawson had stored an additional firearm -- a .223-caliber rifle -- elsewhere in the truck. In addition to the guns, Dawson also possessed two baggies of methamphetamine, two digital scales, a drug ledger, cash, and other items (indicative) of drug trafficking."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Courter, who prosecuted the case against Dawson, said he had a 2003 state conviction in Idaho for manufacturing meth, as well as a 2005 federal conviction from the Idaho district for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
"When he was questioned by law enforcement, he knew there was a restriction on his possessing the guns due to his prior felony conviction," Courter said. "He indicated that he kept them because he was afraid of being robbed while selling drugs."
In a sentencing memorandum, Courter had asked for an eight-year sentence for Dawson. She emphasized that the involvement of both drugs and guns presented a serious threat to public safety, but also noted that Dawson had been honest with troopers about his actions and that he has been trying to break his own drug habit.
"The sentence fashioned by the court in this case should include further treatment options to help Dawson address the seriousness of his underlying addiction issues," Courter wrote. "When he is clean, Dawson has shown an ability to be an upstanding and contributing member of society, for which the defendant should be credited."
Prosecutors said Burgess called the combined nature of the offenses "inherently dangerous" at Wednesday's sentencing hearing. Dawson's defense had asked for a six-year sentence, but Burgess instead split the difference between the two sides' recommendations.
"Burgess went on to comment that adding guns to a drug crime is nothing short of a 'prescription for disaster,' " prosecutors wrote.
Upon completing his prison term, Dawson will remain on supervised release for five years.