Redding Man Indicted for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment Thursday against Gabriel Joseph Detrant, 49, of Redding, charging him with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Feb. 2, 2021, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle Detrant was driving in Redding. Detrant stopped the vehicle, and he and a passenger fled on foot. The officers found a Baikal Makarov, Model IJ-70 9 mm handgun loaded with eight rounds by the driver’s seat, and a wallet with a card containing Detrant’s name was found by the driver’s side door. Officers later found Detrant hiding nearby in the bushes in possession of a magazine loaded with eight 9 mm rounds. Detrant is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he has multiple prior felony convictions, including a 2018 conviction in Shasta County for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office, the Redding Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Haddy Abouzeid is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Detrant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.