Waldron brothers receive time in prison
Brothers Wayne and Guy Waldron of Libby each received prison sentences on Nov. 21 as the result of guilty pleas they entered for their part in a stolen firearms operation in 2007.
Bill Mercer, U.S. attorney for the District of Montana, announced sentences of five years, 10 months for Wayne Waldron, 39, and two years for Guy Waldron, 30, during a federal court session in Missoula before Judge Donald Molloy.
According to a report prepared by the U.S. Department of Justice, each pleaded guilty “to being unlawful users of controlled substances in possession of firearms.”
In addition, Jerrod Fister, whose residence is listed as the Kalispell-Libby area, was sentenced to five years of probation for his part in the crimes.
Wayne Waldron admitted on Dec. 7 of last year to committing several burglaries in Lincoln and Sanders counties. He also told police that he believed his brother had sold stolen firearms to various people.
The Department of Justice indicated that several individuals would have testified to purchasing firearms from Guy Waldron.
The case dates back to Nov. 21 of last year when the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a residential burglary in Libby. Several firearms were stolen, including a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun.
A week later, law enforcement found Fister in possession of the stolen Winchester while staying with his girlfriend at a Libby motel. Fister told police that he bought the shotgun from Guy Waldron, who also offered to sell him methamphetamine.
Subsequently, Wayne Waldron admitted to the burglary along with several other stolen firearms that he had given to his brother, Guy.
“Fister’s girlfriend stated that Guy Waldron carried the shotgun into the motel room, tossed it on the bed, and told Fister, ‘there’s your gun,’” the federal Department of Justice’s report on the case states.
The report says that on Nov. 26, Guy Waldron had loaned a vehicle to Fister, which was impounded two days later. On Dec. 13, Guy Waldron met with officers to pick up the vehicle. At that time, officers observed a revolver in a holster lying in plain view on the dash of Guy Waldron’s pickup.
A week earlier, a search warrant served at a motel where Wayne Waldron was staying turned up firearms. Police also found a glass pipe after searching his vehicle. Guy Waldron then told detectives that his brother committed several burglaries.
“Guy Waldron denied going into any of the homes with his brother but admitted to selling some of the stolen property his brother had given to him,” the report states.
During the course of serving an arrest warrant on Wayne Waldron, a detective noticed a Ruger pistol lying on Guy Waldron’s dashboard – a firearm he told police that he carried with him everywhere he went. The same day, police searched a truck believed to have been used in multiple burglaries and found a toolbox belonging to Guy Waldron with drug paraphernalia inside.
Guy Waldron had been jailed Aug. 13-22 and he admitted to officers that he had used meth a “couple of times.” The investigation turned up a witness that stated Guy Waldron had offered to sell him meth on multiple occasions. On one occasion, the witness said he saw Guy Waldron with eight balls of meth.
The admissions of guilt from the Waldron brothers then materialized.
The Waldrons face the possibility of serving out full sentences because no parole exists in the federal system. However, they will have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for “good behavior.” Even under those guidelines, Wayne Waldron will serve at least 59 1/2 months and Guy Waldron will serve a minimum of between 20 and 21 months.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette L. Stewart prosecuted the case for the United States. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Montana Probation and Parole, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.