Pepin County Man Sentenced to More than 4 Years for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition

MADISON, WIS. - Timothy M. O'Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jesse Turnmire, 34, Durand, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 51 months federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Turnmire pleaded guilty to this charge on February 9, 2024.

On July 7, 2023, law enforcement was dispatched to the Town of Clear Creek, Wisconsin, in response to a report of a male, later identified as Turnmire, slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle while at a stop sign. Officers investigating his condition suspected he was under the influence of drugs and searched his car. During the search they found a firearm wrapped in a restaurant uniform shirt, which was inside a bag that was hidden under the corner of the front bumper. They also discovered a gun magazine in the center console containing seven rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. Turnmire is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of multiple drug-related felony convictions in La Crosse and Trempealeau Counties, as well as state and federal convictions for possessing a firearm as a felon. Turnmire was on federal supervised release at the time of this offense following the federal conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon.

Judge Peterson revoked Turnmire's federal supervision and imposed a two-year sentence to run concurrently with the 51-month sentence on the new conviction.

This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department's program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.

The charge against Turnmire was the result of an investigation conducted by the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson prosecuted this case.