Stevens Point Man Sentenced for a Felon Possessing a Firearm

Friday, April 7th, 2023 -- 12:01 PM

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Lorenzo Miner, 30, Stevens Point, Wisconsin was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to six years in federal prison for possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony. 

Miner pleaded guilty to this charge on November 21, 2022. On January 12, 2022, the Stevens Point Police Department was looking for Miner as part of a state investigation and observed him leaving a hotel and walking to a car, carrying an AR15 rifle partially concealed under a bathrobe.

A detective drew his handgun, pointed it at the defendant, and told him that he was under arrest. Miner denied having a gun, he had already placed it in the vehicle, and refused to comply with the officer’s commands.

The detective tried to gain control of him, but the defendant punched the detective in the face. After a very physical struggle the defendant was eventually taken into custody. Police searched the vehicle and recovered the unloaded AR15 in the backseat.

The defendant had felony convictions for burglary, bail jumping, and drug trafficking. At sentencing, Judge Peterson acknowledged both the aggravating facts of this case and the defendant’s significant criminal history, concluding that a long period of imprisonment was necessary to protect the public.

The charge against Miner was the result of an investigation conducted by the Stevens Point Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan.

This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.

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