A Maple man who was shot outside his home on Pellman Loop Road last year will spend six years in federal prison for possessing firearms as a felon.
Patrick Staton, 30, pleaded guilty to the charge in federal court as part of a plea agreement, according to online court records for the Western District of Wisconsin. The six-year prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release, according to a Thursday, Oct. 8 news release from Scott Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
The case stems from a Sept. 1, 2019, confrontation initiated by Staton outside of his home. During the incident, Staton armed himself with a gun and was subsequently shot by another individual in self-defense.
Officers who executed a search warrant at Staton’s residence the next day located three firearms and ammunition, including an AR-15 style rifle with seven additional magazines. All three guns had previously been reported stolen in Minnesota.
Staton is prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition as a result of several Wisconsin felony convictions. Those include party to burglary in Chippewa County and possession of improvised explosives and delivery of controlled substances in Taylor County, according to online court records.
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At sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge James Peterson said that Staton represents a threat to the public given his “hot head." The judge also noted that this was not the first time Staton had been shot, and that incident as well as his prior felonies failed to deter him from possessing firearms. Peterson also considered the injuries Staton sustained as a result of his conduct in this case, which included brain damage and the limited use of his right hand for the rest of his life.
The charge against Staton was the result of an investigation conducted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Superior Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, St. Louis County (Minnesota) Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
