Red Lodge, Montana – A Red Lodge man admitted to a firearms offense on Tuesday and was given a prison sentence. He was accused of having a short barrel, privately constructed AR-15-style semi-automatic weapon after he was thought to have broken a protection order.
James Faddis Kennedy, 73, entered a guilty plea to having an unlicensed handgun in his possession.
Kenned could spend up to 10 years in jail, pay a $10,000 fine, and serve three years on probation.
Kennedy was released awaiting further hearings, and the court will decide any sentence after taking the US Sentencing Guidelines and other sentencing factors into account.
The Red Lodge Police Department was informed by the government that Kennedy had allegedly stolen a “no trespassing” sign from a fence at the complainant’s home property on October 19, 2022, according to a theft report.
Kennedy can be seen carrying a gun into the complainant’s home on a video that the complainant possessed of the incident.
The complainant further stated that Kennedy was not allowed to own firearms due to a protection order.
After a thorough inquiry, it was discovered that Kennedy was forbidden from threatening or actually using violence against the complainant due to an Order of Protection that was issued on July 2, 2022.
There was a clause in the order that stated, “Respondent shall not possess the following firearms,” but it didn’t specify any particular weapons.
On November 17th, 2022, law officers entered Kennedy’s home according to a state search order. Officers discovered a number of weapons and gun parts, including a privately manufactured semi-automatic rifle in the AR-15 design that lacked a serial number. The barrel of the weapon was 10 inches long, and its entire length was 30.5 inches.
The National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record does not contain any information on the firearm.
