Trucker sentenced to 3 years in prison for carrying sawed off shotgun in his cab

Idaho authorities say that a truck driver was sentenced to prison after police discovered several illegal items in his truck when he was broken down.

California-based truck driver Patrick Michael McHenry, 28, was sentenced to 36 months in prison in addition to 3 years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Idaho.

McHenry pled guilty to a charge of possession of an unregistered firearm in September 2019.

The charge was filed against McHenry after his truck broke down while he was in Idaho.

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

According to court records, McHenry’s semi-truck broke down while driving through Nampa, Idaho. Police contacted McHenry and a drug detection canine alerted on the cab of McHenry’s truck. Inside, officers located a sawed-off shotgun with an obliterated serial number, shotgun shells, methamphetamine, and a digital scale. McHenry admitted to possessing the firearm, which was later identified as a modified Harrington and Richardson, Model Topper 58, 20-gauge shotgun. The shotgun had a shortened barrel that measured 8.5 inches in length, with an overall length of 14 inches. The National Firearms Act requires such a shotgun to be registered if the barrel is less than eighteen inches in length.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Nampa Police Department.

The case was prosecuted as part of two Department of Justice programs — Project Safe Neighborhoods, which seeks to reduce violent crime, and Project Guardian, which is an initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.