Department of Justice

MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jesse Turnmire, 30, Bangor, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson, to five years in federal prison, for possessing firearms as a convicted felon.  Turnmire pleaded guilty to this charge on March 15, 2019.  His prison term will be followed by a three-year period of supervised release.       

 

On December 15, 2018, residents at an apartment complex in La Crosse reported shots-fired.  Officers recovered four Remington 9mm shell casings at the scene.  Through interviews, officers developed Turnmire as a suspect.  Turnmire was subsequently arrested after fleeing from a vehicle, and two firearms were recovered from the vehicle.  One had been reported stolen, and Turnmire had a photo of the firearm on his phone.  The other firearm was examined by the State Crime Lab, and the lab confirmed it had been used in the shooting.  Turnmire’s prior felony convictions are: 2013 Bail Jumping; 2014 Possession of Methamphetamine; 2014 Theft of Automobile; 2015 Possession of Methamphetamine; and 2016 Possession of Narcotic Drug.

 

In another case, Emmanuel Hunt, 24, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to four years in federal prison for also possessing firearms as a convicted felon.  Hunt pleaded guilty to this charge on February 21, 2019.  His prison term will also be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

 

On November 22, 2018, Hunt was stopped for speeding and he was arrested on an outstanding warrant.  A search of the vehicle incident to arrest led to the recovery of a loaded handgun under the driver's seat. 

On December 5, 2018, Hunt was stopped by the La Crosse County Sheriff's Department after he was observed driving erratically.  When deputies approached the car, they smelled marijuana and observed marijuana in the vehicle.  A search incident to arrest led to the recovery of a loaded, stolen handgun in Hunt’s waistband.  A search of the vehicle revealed a second loaded, stolen handgun under the passenger seat.  Hunt’s prior felony convictions are:  Manufacture/Deliver Cannabis (2014, Cook County, Illinois) and Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon (2016, Cook County, Illinois).

 

These cases have been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime.  The PSN approach involves collaboration by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and communities to prevent and deter gun violence.

 

The charges against Turnmire and Hunt were the result of investigations conducted by the La Crosse Police Department, the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The prosecution of these cases have been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rita M. Rumbelow.