Bigfork felon pleads guilty to firearm charge

A Bigfork man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Mark Lawrence Wilson, 45, entered the plea Nov. 7 during U.S. District Court proceedings in Missoula.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, Wilson, an unlawful user of marijuana and cocaine, was found to have 12 firearms and more than 5,200 rounds of ammunition after his car and home were searched in the climax of a four-month investigation regarding Wilson’s use and distribution of cocaine.

A pair of handguns and a shotgun were found in Wilson’s vehicle, which he was driving at the time of his arrest. One of the handguns was the same one brandished during a Nov. 2, 2012, cocaine sale.

Thousands of rounds of ammunition for shotguns and all varieties and calibers of firearms were located at his home.

Wilson now faces up to 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced on Feb. 20, 2014.