Oregon man gets 14 years in prison for illegal firearm, narcotics possession

(The Center Square) – A Cave Junction, Oregon, man recently got sentenced to federal prison for over 14 years for illegally possessing methamphetamine and 12 firearms while under state supervision.

William Thomas Gillespie, 39, received a 173-month federal prison sentence and five years’ supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

“With Mr. Gillespie’s lengthy criminal record involving drug distribution, illegal firearms, and flight from supervised release, this significant sentence is well warranted,” Jonathan Blais, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Seattle Field Division, said in a statement.

Gillespie was arrested in White City, Oregon, on April 6, 2020, for trying to deliver about 174 grams of methamphetamine. When he got arrested, Gillespie had six baggies of methamphetamine and a digital scale in his possession.

After Gillespie agreed to have his residence searched, investigators found and seized 12 firearms, including an AR-15 and multiple AK-style rifles.

Three of those firearms were stolen, and one had an obliterated serial number.

A federal grand jury in Medford returned a three-count indictment against Gillespie on November 5, 2020. It charged him with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, illegally possessing a short-barrel rifle, and possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Gillespie was released from custody pending trial on June 23, 2021. In August 2022, he pleaded guilty to “illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute,” a release said.

Gillespie absconded from his supervised release and had a warrant issued for his arrest in January 2023. He was located and arrested in Bandon, Oregon, on September 13, 2023.

The Rogue Area Drug Enforcement Team (RADE) investigated this case. It’s a “multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. RADE includes members from Oregon State Police, the Grants Pass Police Department, Josephine County Probation & Parole, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF),” according to the release.

Judith R. Harper, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, prosecuted the case.