A Bowdoinham resident, Rodney Skipper, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland to the charge of possessing a firearm after having been previously convicted of a felony offense.
Court documents show that in September 2024, Brunswick police responded to a shoplifting call at a Walmart. Officers found Skipper outside near his vehicle and noticed he had an empty pistol holster on his hip. Witnesses informed officers that Skipper had been seen with a firearm in the holster before police arrived. A search of Skipper’s vehicle led to the discovery of three pistols: a 9mm, a .40 caliber, and a 10mm. Because of an earlier felony conviction for assaultive conduct, Skipper was not allowed to possess firearms.
Skipper could face up to 15 years in prison, a fine as high as $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following any incarceration. Sentencing will take place after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigative report. The sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with help from the Brunswick Police Department.
“This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.” For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.
