Man sentenced for illegal possession of firearm, meth

by Ralph Bartholdt Staff Writer
| June 14, 2017 1:00 AM

COEUR d’ALENE — A man with droopy eyes and slow speech, according to police, who rode his bicycle in downtown Coeur d’Alene, allegedly with an illegal firearm in his backpack, may go to prison for two years for being a felon in possession of a gun.

Robert J. Ingraham, 20, was sentenced in First District Court to a two-year fixed prison sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which will run concurrently with a two-year fixed prison sentence for possession of methamphetamine.

District Judge John T. Mitchell retained jurisdiction, allowing Ingraham to attend a prison rehabilitation program. If he successfully completes the program he could be placed on probation.

Police arrested Ingraham May 8 on Fourth Street where he rode a bicycle with another man, Austin J. L. Walker, 21, according to a report. Officers stopped the men near Wallace Avenue to chat with them, after an officer thought one of the men was wanted by authorities.

Ingraham told police the men were “just mobbing around.”

Police learned Ingraham was on felony probation which allowed police to search him without a warrant. They asked Ingraham if he carried anything in his backpack they should be concerned about.

Ingraham removed a 22-gram baggie of marijuana and a pipe from his backpack, a violation of his probation, according to police. When officers later searched the backpack they found a loaded .380 handgun, which had been reported stolen.

“Robert stated he found the handgun in an alley recently,” according to report by Officer Jacob Proctor.

A K9 was called and alerted on Walker’s backpack. Officers allegedly found a loaded 9mm handgun, which police say was also stolen, and two loaded magazines inside the backpack. Officers also found unlabeled pill bottles and 22 prescription pills, according to the police report.

Walker was arrested for possession of stolen property, a felony, and two misdemeanors including possession of paraphernalia and having a legend drug. His next hearing is June 29.