Convicted felon gets seven years on gun charges; could be out in four months

A former Ohio resident, who is a convicted felon now living in Arizona, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being caught with five firearms last summer in Whitley County.

Bryon Kilgore was recently sentenced to seven years in prison, but could be out in four months.

Bryon E. Kilgore, 60, formerly of Mansfield, Ohio, pled guilty in September to two counts of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in exchange for prosecutors recommending seven years in prison on the handgun charges, and five years in prison on the firearm possession charges.

Judge Paul Winchester followed the terms of the plea agreement on Dec. 17 and sentenced Kilgore to a total of seven years in prison, and ordered him to pay $140 court costs once he is released from custody.

The plea agreement calls for prosecutors to take no position on shock probation after Kilgore has served at least four months of his sentence, which Winchester noted in court Monday.

Defense attorney Paul Croley said that he would file a motion for shock probation at the appropriate time.

Croley noted that Kilgore and his wife have now moved to Fort Mohave, Arizona.

Under the terms of the plea deal, all five firearms will be forfeited, including a Colt 38, a Ruger 44 magnum, a Stevens 12 gauge shotgun, an AK-45 rifle and a Savage 22-250 rifle.

Kilgore has prior felony convictions for arson, sexual imposition and aggravated arson in Richland County, Ohio, according to his indictment.

Former Third-District Constable Dorman Patrick Jr., who arrested Kilgore on July 17, 2017, conducted the investigation.

While on patrol on River Road in the Red Bird community, Patrick conducted a traffic stop of a 2016 black GMC Sierra, which Kilgore was driving, Patrick wrote in a 2017 release.

After further investigation, officers went to the Cumberland River RV Campground, which is located on Highway 204 near Red Bird Bridge, where Kilgore and his wife had been camping for about one month, Patrick wrote.

“Kilgore gave written consent for his RV camper to be searched. Officers located two rifles, one shotgun and two hand guns,” Patrick wrote in a 2017 release.

Police also located a large amount of ammunition, the release stated.