Mills Man Sentenced To 12.5 Years In Prison For Firearm Crime

A federal judge has sentenced a Mills man to 150 months -- 12.5 years -- imprisonment for using a gun during a federal drug trafficking crime, according to U.S. District Court Records.

Kenneth Stankus also will spend five years on probation after he is released from custody, according to the minutes of the sentencing by U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl in Casper on Tuesday.

Stankus had pleaded guilty to this count on July 15, and in exchange the government asked for the dismissal of one count of a felon in possession of a firearm.

The case began in December when a Mills police officer pulled over Stankus, who was driving as if he were impaired, according to the criminal complaint filed by agent Paul Claflin of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Stankus told the Mills officer he had smoked marijuana 30 minutes earlier. A search of his car yielded marijuana, methamphetamine, empty small jeweler's bags, glass pipes, a small safe, pills and a .22-caliber pistol. He said he owned the pistol for protection, and had a second firearm in his car.

In 2011, Stankus was convicted of felony possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and was sentenced to the Wyoming State Penitentiary.